China’s Real-Name Registration

Chinese social media network is quite unique in the world. Internet is not the space where you can do or say anything. And the most non-Chinese social medias are banned in China. Like, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other online communities. As long as the platforms provide UGC (User Generated Content). Since China launched Real-Name Registration (实名制), you can’t talk whatever you want online even on Chinese social media internet. In this article, I will explain more about China’s Real-Name Registration and how to bypass Chinese ID verification as a foreigner.

What is China’s Real-Name Registration

Real-Name Registration is a policy that you need to provide your real name and Chinese ID to the internet service providers or platforms. Sometimes, you need to provide your real-name and Chinese ID before registering account, sometimes, it requires when you want to post/comment online. And sometimes, it won’t ask for Real-Name Registration online. Why it’s like that? I will explain later.

Why China government ask for Real-Name Registration

Real-Name Registration is a controversial policy has been arguing for many years. Many non-Chinese may think it’s Chinese government just want to control residents’ FREEDOM online. It’s not simple. There are more reasons you even didn’t know.

1. Anti Online Frauds/Scammers

Due to China has over 1.4 billion population, different people have different thoughts, some are good, some are bad. Internet is the space where bad guys love most. They are using internet to do illegal activities.

Let me give you an estimated fraud amount involved in 2022: that is about 2 trillion Yuan (RMB)!!!

How come? Yes, the frauds are using internet to do scamming things crazily! If you live in China, you will hear from the news, who been scammed, and how much money involved. Every Chinese heard that, but still fraud cases occur everyday.

Unfortunately, that’s even under the Real-Name Registration. It still happened crazily. Does that means the Real-Name registration policy failed in anti-fraud? Of course not, Real-Name Registration helps a lot in anti-fraud.

What I need to express is that Anti-fraud is one of the vital reason why China launched Real-Name Registration policy.

2. Account abusing use

Once social media platform gets popular, the traffic becomes valuable to some group people. So they created thousands of accounts on the platform. So that they can make money on accounts.

For instance, you create thounds of YouTube accounts. And you use that to subscribe to a YouTube channel (the YouTuber will pay you for your subscription).

That’s fake subscribers on social media platforms.

If on eCommerce platforms, you can use that to write fake reviews for making money.

I think, you know what I mean, and you can understand how terrible it is.

3. Anti rumors

Online rumors can lead to the spread of false information, creating confusion and panic. They can harm individuals, organizations, or even influence public opinion.

I fully understand how important it is to talk freely. But it doesn’t mean you can talk whatever you want. Rumors is what you should not spreading online.

It’s a big challenge to anti online rumors due to there are almost 1 billion internet users in China.

The Real-Name Registration policy has played a certain role in preventing rumors.

4. Anti online harassment

Online harassment refers to malicious attacks, threats, or insults directed at individuals or groups on the internet. This behavior can include verbal abuse, harassing messages, false accusations, and negatively impacts the psychological and emotional well-being of the victims. Combating online harassment often involves measures to protect personal privacy and maintain the safety of online communities.

Incidents of suicide resulting from online harassment are not uncommon in China.

5. Protecting Minors

Being addicted to the Internet will affect the physical and mental health of teenagers. And Kids does not have ability to filter what’s good and bad information on the internet wisely sometimes. So Real-Name Registration is a way to protect kids as well.

Although real name registration is a good policy for the internet environment, but it also have privacy problem.

Mobile Phone Real Name Registration

Before the real-name registration on the internet implement, The mobile phone real-name system was implemented in 2013.

The reason are almost the same as the internet real name registration.

Then, what is China’s mobile phone real name registration?

It’s your mobile phone number has to be registered with your real name and Chinese ID. If not verified with your Chinese ID. The phone number wont be activated.

This is why some social media/sites requires Chinese ID verification, some don’t. Because Chinese phone number was linked to Chinese ID already.

How to bypass Chinese ID Verification

Chinese ID (身份证) is most the official ID card to show your resident identity in China. Some countries even don’t have that thing, they just using driver license.

However, many foreigners are interested in Chinese social medias/sites. How to bypass the Chinese ID verification when registering account?

1# Using Chinese mobile phone number

As I said before, mobile phone number has to be registered before you using it.

If you’re a Chinese resident, you can use your Chinese ID to register a Chinese phone number.

If you’re foreigner, you can use your passport to apply for Chinese mobile phone number.

Once you get a Chinese mobile phone number. You can use it to register Chinese social medias/sites’ account without asking for Chinese ID verification.

Foreigner can register China mobile phone number with your passport. But you’re not able to apply for Chinese ID. So you can try to use China mobile phone number to skip the Chinese ID verification.

NOTE: Most Chinese social media/site won’t ask for Chinese ID verification if you are using a Chinese mobile phone to register account.

2# Login with other social media accounts

The most popular social media accounts can be logged in to most other social media or sites. Those are the Chinese social media without Chinese ID verification.

• WeChat.
• QQ.
• Weibo.
• Toutiao (owned by ByteDance company).

If you see the platform can be logged in with other social media account. You can try it.

3 # Register a business account

If you want to promote your brand to Chinese social media or do marketing in China. You can try registering for business account.

4# Ask your Chinese friend for help

No matter Chinese phone number or Chinese ID, they are all private personal information. You can only ask your best Chinese friend who willing to help you. If they deny, please don’t blame them. Because, maybe they just have one mobile phone number and has been registered for account they need.

Or you can pay your Chinese friend to register a new phone number for. (If they willing to! you better pay for that)

Can I just buy Chinese social media account or Chinese ID?

You have to understand. The Chinese has to take responsibility for what they do online. One mobile phone can be registered only one account on each platform or site.

How can someone will sell their account? If someone selling account as their job. Then their account probably has be flagged by platform.

Besides, Chinese social media account must link mobile phone number. If you don’t or forget to unlink the old mobile phone number and re-link your own mobile phone number. Them they can get the account back easily.

Wrap up

China’s Real-Name Registration is unfriendly for foreigners. But you need to understand it and follow the rules. Cyberspace is not the space where you can do whatever you want. Be a nice guy is always a nice thing.