Chinese authors required to register real names online

In China, the government has introduced measures that require authors to provide their real names when they publish online, reports the New York Times. Under the new guidelines on online literature, made public by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, all authors need to register their real names with internet publishing platforms. Authors can still publish under pen names, however, the measures give the government access to the authors’ real names. A 2014 government report found that there were more than 274 million readers of online literature in China—about 44% of internet users in the country. There is a long tradition of using pen names in China, and they can be used online to shield authors from government scrutiny when ‘writings may be deemed controversial or delicate’.  

Category: International news