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Blog real name system not yet officially decided

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-23 09:35

With widespread online rumor saying China will implement a blog real name system, the Internet Society of China (ISC) has clarified that so far the Ministry of Information Industry has not officially made any related policies.
 
However, a real name system will be an unavoidable choice if China wants to standardize and develop its blog industry, Huang Chengqing, ISC secretary general, told Xinhua on Sunday.

An official with the ISC confirmed on Thursday that the society is working on a real name system for Chinese bloggers, which attested to netizens' longtime guess about it and triggered a hot controversy.

Huang said some reports on the Internet about the implementation of the real name system are not "very accurate."

The ISC, affiliated to the Ministry of Information Industry, was entrusted by the ministry to form a blog research panel to provide solutions for the development of China's blog industry.

"We suggest, in a recent report submitted to the ministry, that a real name system should be implemented in China's blog industry, " Huang said.

Under such a system, a netizen has to register with his real name to open a blog, but can still write under a pseudonym, according to Huang.

Yet the panel also pointed out in their report that a lot of preparatory work must be done before the real name system officially runs.

"For example, a complete personal data protection system should be established in advance," Huang said, adding that the system will not be put into operation before listening to opinions and advice from the huge number of netizens.

China has about 17.5 million bloggers according to a recent ISC report.