China to Roll Out Centralized Internet ID, Sparking Fresh Concerns Over Online Freedom
China is set to introduce a new centralized internet identification system in mid-July, further tightening its grip on the digital space and intensifying concerns over privacy, surveillance, and freedom of expression.
The system, introduced by the Ministry of Public Security, will allow Chinese internet users to sign into various websites and apps using a single state-issued virtual ID, streamlining identity verification across digital platforms. Authorities say the move will enhance data security and support the development of the digital economy, describing it as a tool to “protect citizens’ identity information.”
Unlike the current approach, where users verify their identities separately for each platform, the new internet ID will serve as a universal digital key, centralizing access and identity data.
While officials insist the system is voluntary, critics argue that the pressure to adopt it may eventually make participation unavoidable. Experts also warn that consolidating data on such a massive scale could increase the risk of cyberattacks, referencing the 2022 leak of a police database that exposed the personal information of nearly one billion Chinese citizens.
More than six million users have already registered for the ID, according to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua, with the government encouraging broader adoption across industries.
But human rights advocates and researchers are alarmed by what they see as a significant escalation in digital control. Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, described the system as “an infrastructure of digital totalitarianism,” saying it would enable the state to monitor, censor, or completely erase individuals’ presence across multiple platforms in real-time.
“Instead of platforms flagging problematic content, the state will have a direct line to users’ full digital trail,” added Shane Yi of China Human Rights Defenders.
The initiative began as a proposal by Jia Xiaoliang, a cyber police official and delegate to China’s National People’s Congress, in early 2024. When public comments were invited last July, a few prominent legal scholars spoke out against the plan. One of them, Tsinghua University professor Lao Dongyan, likened the system to placing a surveillance device on every internet user. Her post was later deleted, and she was suspended from posting on social media.
By the time the final rules were published in late May, online criticism had largely vanished – a silence some analysts say is the result of deliberate government timing to minimize backlash.
“There’s a pattern here,” said Xiao. “The authorities introduce proposals, let dissenters speak early on, then push forward with implementation once the outrage has passed.”
Despite official claims that the new ID will improve data protection, experts like Haochen Sun, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, remain skeptical.
“Centralizing identity verification makes the system more efficient for the state, but also more vulnerable to data breaches and misuse,” he said. “And even if it begins as voluntary, it can easily become the default – or the only – option.”
As the July launch approaches, the system is already being tested on hundreds of apps. Though framed as a tool for security and convenience, critics say it may soon become a requirement — further blurring the line between digital innovation and surveillance.
