4 ms·

> ID verification is enforced on all Chinese websites. Is that really true? So search engines? News sites? Pseudo-anonymous discussion forums?

bobsmooth 1y ago
Yes. You need an ID to use the internet.
- qingcharles 1y ago
  What about visitors?
  - atlintots 1y ago
    You don't need an ID just to use the internet in China...
  - SXX 1y ago
    Roaming is VPN. And if you want fast one outside firewall you can grab HK esim like soSIM. And this one only needs any passport photo w/o face verification.
- anonzzzies 1y ago
  Stop talking nonsense.
raincole 1y ago
Don't listen to the sibling commenter who doesn't know what they're talking about. No, you don't need ID verification to use search engine or read news in China. However, sites that depend on user-generated content (like forums) would ask for at least your phone number.
- djoldman 1y ago
  How easily can a burner be used? Are sim cards easily swapped?
  - keysdev 1y ago
    Not sure about now. It was before the covid. Keep in mind everything is done via weechat anyway now days. Anyone from behind the great wall care to comment? Is HN event reachable from behind the great wall with out Tor?
  - raincole 1y ago
    > Are sim cards easily swapped? Very easily. Apple even specifically introduced dual-sim iPhone for China. > How easily can a burner be used? You need to bring your ID to a telecom to get a phone number legally. But I don't know if there is a black market for burner sims. (Last time I've been there was a few years ago so take it with a grain of salt.)
    - computerfriend 1y ago
      > Very easily. Apple even specifically introduced dual-sim iPhone for China. Because they don't support eSIMs there.
    - Gathering6678 1y ago
      Burner sims have been a thing of the past in China for quite some time. The official rationale I believe is to curb telecom fraud, which in turn left China and started doing their business in southeast Asia.
  - jesterson 1y ago
    There is no such thing as "burner". Phone number is very hard to get and requires ID verification and sorts
    - dmurray 1y ago
      It's very easy to get. As a visitor, I got one in the airport for $20. "ID verification" is stretching it, but like so many things in China it requires the vendor to take a photo of your ID, and unusually also to take a photo of you and submit it to the telecom website.
budududuroiu 1y ago
No, but some features are locked until you do. For example, you can join voice chat rooms on Xiaohongshu, but can’t turn on your camera until you verify ID. You can join others’ broadcasts but you can’t create your own, etc
yegle 1y ago
You can have "read" access anonymously (with a big asterisk, see the end), but as soon as you need "write" access, the service provider (the website etc) is legally required to verify your ID. It's why there's no pseudo-anonymous discussion forum in China, at least legally. Source: https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2016-11/07/content_5129723.htm https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2016-11/07/content_5129723.htm > Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, Article 24: When network operators provide users with network access, domain name registration services, fixed-line and mobile phone network access procedures, or provide users with information publishing, instant messaging and other services, they shall require users to provide real identity information when signing an agreement with the user or confirming the provision of services. If the user does not provide real identity information, the network operator shall not provide the relevant services to the user. The big asterisk: there's no anonymous internet service in China, you have to ID yourself to get access to the internet (article 24), and the service provider are required to keep record of you (IP and everything) (article 21), and they are also required to cooperate with the authority (no surprise here) (article 28). And using VPN or Tor is likely illegal (article 27).

bobsmooth 1y ago

Yes. You need an ID to use the internet.

qingcharles 1y ago
What about visitors?
- atlintots 1y ago
  You don't need an ID just to use the internet in China...
- SXX 1y ago
  Roaming is VPN. And if you want fast one outside firewall you can grab HK esim like soSIM. And this one only needs any passport photo w/o face verification.
anonzzzies 1y ago
Stop talking nonsense.

raincole 1y ago

Don't listen to the sibling commenter who doesn't know what they're talking about. No, you don't need ID verification to use search engine or read news in China. However, sites that depend on user-generated content (like forums) would ask for at least your phone number.

djoldman 1y ago
How easily can a burner be used? Are sim cards easily swapped?
- keysdev 1y ago
  Not sure about now. It was before the covid. Keep in mind everything is done via weechat anyway now days. Anyone from behind the great wall care to comment? Is HN event reachable from behind the great wall with out Tor?
- raincole 1y ago
  > Are sim cards easily swapped? Very easily. Apple even specifically introduced dual-sim iPhone for China. > How easily can a burner be used? You need to bring your ID to a telecom to get a phone number legally. But I don't know if there is a black market for burner sims. (Last time I've been there was a few years ago so take it with a grain of salt.)
  - computerfriend 1y ago
    > Very easily. Apple even specifically introduced dual-sim iPhone for China. Because they don't support eSIMs there.
  - Gathering6678 1y ago
    Burner sims have been a thing of the past in China for quite some time. The official rationale I believe is to curb telecom fraud, which in turn left China and started doing their business in southeast Asia.
- jesterson 1y ago
  There is no such thing as "burner". Phone number is very hard to get and requires ID verification and sorts
  - dmurray 1y ago
    It's very easy to get. As a visitor, I got one in the airport for $20. "ID verification" is stretching it, but like so many things in China it requires the vendor to take a photo of your ID, and unusually also to take a photo of you and submit it to the telecom website.

budududuroiu 1y ago

No, but some features are locked until you do. For example, you can join voice chat rooms on Xiaohongshu, but can’t turn on your camera until you verify ID. You can join others’ broadcasts but you can’t create your own, etc

yegle 1y ago

You can have "read" access anonymously (with a big asterisk, see the end), but as soon as you need "write" access, the service provider (the website etc) is legally required to verify your ID. It's why there's no pseudo-anonymous discussion forum in China, at least legally. Source: https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2016-11/07/content_5129723.htm https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2016-11/07/content_5129723.htm > Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, Article 24: When network operators provide users with network access, domain name registration services, fixed-line and mobile phone network access procedures, or provide users with information publishing, instant messaging and other services, they shall require users to provide real identity information when signing an agreement with the user or confirming the provision of services. If the user does not provide real identity information, the network operator shall not provide the relevant services to the user. The big asterisk: there's no anonymous internet service in China, you have to ID yourself to get access to the internet (article 24), and the service provider are required to keep record of you (IP and everything) (article 21), and they are also required to cooperate with the authority (no surprise here) (article 28). And using VPN or Tor is likely illegal (article 27).