Weibo CEO, Wang Gaofei, has confirmed that China may enact legislation to ban anonymous political and financial comments on the platform, requiring users to display their real names on their accounts. This new policy was first tested on Wang Gaofei’s own account.
In the past few days, several influential Weibo users claimed to have received notifications that users with over one million followers who comment on politics, entertainment, and finance will now have to use their real names. However, these influencers did not disclose the source of these notifications, and the Chinese cyber space regulatory body has remained silent on the matter.
Wang Gaofei himself was discovered to be using his real name on his Weibo account, prompting him to comment that he is testing this policy on his own account first. “Long-time followers of my account know that I always try out new features on my account,” he wrote.
With 957,000 followers on the platform, Wang Gaofei mentioned that this new real name policy could expand to users with over half a million followers in the future. Additionally, he advised that unfollowing accounts can be used to bypass this policy.
Despite the strict control exerted by the Chinese government over the media industry, there has been a rise of smaller independent media groups, known as Zimeiti, in recent years. These groups often specialize in specific areas and have a significant influence among readers.
The Chinese cyber space regulatory body has been trying to control these activities, initiating various crackdowns that have led to the closure of many independent media accounts or adjustments to their social media platforms to avoid being targeted by the authorities.
TLDR: Weibo CEO, Wang Gaofei, has hinted at new legislation in China that would require users to display their real names and ban anonymous comments on political and financial topics. While the source of these notifications remains unknown, Wang Gaofei has already started implementing the policy on his own account. In addition, there is a rise of independent media groups, called Zimeiti, that have a significant influence on readers, leading to efforts by the Chinese cyber space regulatory body to control their activities.
Leave a Comment