New measure to ensure online safety

China has adopted a regulation on the authentication service of online identities in an effort to support the development of digital economy and enhance protection of personal information.

The regulation on the management of the country's public service of authenticating online identities was released on Friday by six State departments, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The service is to help people get their "internet codes" and "internet certificates", said the regulation, which will go into effect on July 15.

An "internet code" is comprised of letters and digits, and doesn't include "plaintext information about one's identity", while an "internet certificate" is something that carries the code, according to the regulation.

People can apply for their codes and certificates on a smartphone application. They can get the service according to their own will, the regulation said.

Internet platforms are also encouraged, according to the principle of voluntariness, to provide access to the service so as to support users in registering and verifying their identities by their internet codes and certificates.

The platforms should ensure that users who choose to register and verify themselves in other ways enjoy the same services as those who use internet codes and certificates, the regulation emphasized.

The government departments, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China, have built the infrastructure for the country's internet identity authentication system to meet the people's need for safe and convenient online self-identification, and the regulation was adopted to better manage the service, an official of the ministry said.

The primary goal of the service is to ensure personal information security, the official said, adding that the service allows people to identify themselves "anonymously", reducing their use of ID numbers and names, and avoiding excessive collection of personal information.

The service is authoritative, safe, trustworthy and convenient, the official also said.

A safety management system and technological protection measures should be established and implemented for the service to ensure the security of data and personal information, the regulation said.

Important data and personal information handled by the service should be stored in China, and if the information needs to be provided outside China, there should be safety assessments before the move, it said.