Popular social media in China simultaneously enforces a notice requiring users with more than 500,000 followers to disclose their real names, resulting in the loss of anonymity for thousands of influencers

Several popular social media platforms in China have announced that they will require accounts with more than 500,000 followers to display real name information on October 31, 2023. Accounts with more than 500,000 followers are certified as 'self-media,' and account operators must disclose confidential information such as addresses, phone numbers, and affiliated organizations.

China removes anonymity of bloggers' accounts with more than 500,000 followers | Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-removes-anonymity-bloggers-accounts-with-more-than-500000-followers-2023-10-31/

Tencent, Kuaishou Demand Real Names in China Internet Tightening - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-31/tencent-kuaishou-demand-real-names-in-china-internet-tightening

China Forces Popular Social Media Accounts to Use Their Real Names | PCMag
https://www.pcmag.com/news/china-forces-popular-social-media-accounts-to-use-their-real-names

China Removes Anonymity of Bloggers' Accounts With More Than 500,000 Followers - Slashdot
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/23/10/31/2117238/china-removes-anonymity-of-bloggers-accounts-with-more-than-500000-followers

October 31, 2023, WeChat, a messaging and payment app, Weibo, a microblogging platform, Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Baidu, China's largest search engine, Xiaohongshu, a social e-commerce app, and Bilibili, a video sharing site Popular social media in China has announced that they will require self-media to disclose personal information.

In response, a former state-run media editor defended the regulation, saying, ``This is a necessary measure to force influential accounts to speak more responsibly.'' On the other hand, some are concerned that the platform could further eliminate anonymity for online users in the future.

To allay such concerns, Weibo CEO Gaofei Wang said, ``We will not ask accounts with fewer than 500,000 followers to disclose personal information.'' Douyin does not disclose information other than real names, only allows authenticated accounts to view real names, and for accounts judged to be 'dangerous' or 'abnormal', the real names of account operators cannot be viewed. They have announced a policy of restricting it.

The move will remove the anonymity of thousands of influencers on social media platforms used by hundreds of millions of Chinese users every day. Several platforms have warned that accounts with more than 1 million followers will be affected first, and that accounts that don't comply with the disclosure will face restrictions on their online traffic and earnings.