China's tech giant Baidu Inc. will require real-name registration for several of its products starting June 1, according to a recent announcement by the company.
Products including Baidu Cloud, a cloud storage service, and Baidu Tieba, a communication platform, will require their users' accounts to be bound to phone numbers. The services provided to users will be affected if the accounts remain unbound after the date, said the company.
Chinese young people at an Internet cafe. /VCG Photo
Baidu Inc. said the new requirements are in line with regulations of the Chinese law of cybersecurity, which stipulates in Article 24 that Internet users should register with real names when signing up to network users.
The law was passed on November 7, 2016, and will take effect on June 1. It is expected to help crack down on rampant online rumors, the spread of pornography and pirated content.
A number of Chinese Internet companies shut down their cloud storage services in 2016, due to the difficulties in controlling illegal contents uploaded. Baidu Cloud was one of the few to survive the massive shut down.
Chinese young people surf online at an Internet cafe. /VCG Photo
However, the company found itself in the center of several controversies several times in 2016, for allegedly profiting from ranking search results. Baidu Tieba has been summoned by the Chinese authorities several times for "selling personal information, spreading rumors and illegal contents, as well as publishing fake advertisement."
While welcomed by many for its work preventing the spread of illegal content, the real-name registration also raises some concerns over risks to personal information. The cybersecurity law forbids Internet service providers from leaking, falsifying or selling on personal information.
Many users are concerned that real-name registration would affect their use of the Baidu search engine. But the company said that the new requirement does not include its search engine services.
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