China's national online ID service went into effect earlier this month with the promise of improving user privacy by limiting the amount of data collected by private-sector companies. However, the measures have been criticised by privacy and digital rights activists as giving the government more control over citizens' online activities.
The National Online Identity Authentication Public Service is a government-run digital identity system that will reduce the overall information footprint by allowing citizens to register with legitimate government documents and then protecting their data from Internet services. Users can choose not to utilise the service at this time, however businesses are expected to refrain from collecting users' personal information unless specifically mandated by law.
Kendra Schaefer, a partner at Beijing-based policy consultancy Trivium China, claims that the rules, on the surface, give Internet users a centralised repository for their identity data, owned by the government, and to prevent inconsistent handling by private enterprises.
"Basically, they're just switching the holder of data," Schaefer stated. "Users use to have to put their ID information into each new website when they logged into that website. ... It would be up to the collector of that data — for example, the platform itself — to properly encrypt it, properly transmit it to the state for verification. ... That is sort of being eliminated now.”
Several nations are adopting regulations to establish digital identity systems that link online and offline identities. For instance, Australia expanded its government digital ID, permitted private sector participation, and strengthened privacy protections in 2024 with the adoption of the Digital ID Act of 2024. Based on Estonia's digital-government system, Singapore has long provided its people with a digital ID, SingPass, to facilitate transactions with government services.
However, China's strategy has sparked serious concerns about escalating government monitoring under the guise of privacy and data security. According to an analysis by the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), a non-governmental collective of domestic and international Chinese human rights activists and groups, and Article 19, an international non-governmental organisation, the measures contain privacy and notification clauses, but several loopholes allow authorities to easily access private information without notification.
According to Shane Yi, a researcher with CHRD, the new Internet ID system is intended to bolster the state's monitoring apparatus rather than to safeguard individual privacy.
The goal of the Internet ID numbers, also known as Network Numbers, is to centralise the process of confirming residents' digital identities. Real-name verification is required by the Chinese government, but since it is spread across numerous internet services, it may pose a data security threat. The Chinese regulation states that Internet platforms cannot maintain information about a citizen's true identity if they use a digital ID. The new restrictions (translation) entered into effect on July 15, 2025.
"After internet platforms access the Public Service, where users elect to use Network Numbers or Network Credentials to register and verify their real identity information, and pass verification, the internet platforms must not require that the users separately provide explicit identification information, except where laws or administrative regulations provide otherwise or the users consent to provide it," the regulation reads.
Chinese officials say that the strategy strengthens citizens' privacy. Lin Wei, president of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, China, claims that the 67 sites and applications that use the virtual ID service collect 89% less personal information. According to reports, the Ministry of Public Security in China released the academic's work.
