On July 15, China is launching a new digital identification system that could fundamentally reshape the country’s internet landscape. Users who submit extensive personal data to the government—including facial scans—will receive a unique ID required to access online services. Officially, participation is voluntary, but experts warn it could soon become mandatory—first de facto, then de jure.
The program is presented as a way to protect personal data and combat fraud, but in practice it expands the government’s capacity for centralized oversight. Control over digital identity will shift from tech companies to the state—a change critics say paves the way for targeted censorship and pervasive surveillance. Supporters, however, argue it will create a safer and more stable online environment.
What is driving Beijing’s new initiative—and why are not only human rights advocates but also Chinese scholars and IT professionals raising alarm?
China has long achieved what was once thought impossible: near-total control over its domestic internet. On Tuesday, July 15, Beijing will take another step toward centralized governance of the web by launching a state-run digital identification system, enabling authorities to more closely monitor and filter the online behavior of over a billion users.
For more than a decade, the country has enforced a "real-name registration" policy under which internet companies typically know who is commenting on social media, ordering clothes online, or playing video games. Now, that control will pass directly to the state. Users who submit expanded personal data—including facial scans—will be issued a unique identification code required to access online platforms.
Under the new system, personal information from users of platforms such as the social network Weibo or e-commerce giant Alibaba will be concealed from the companies themselves—but not from the government. Authorities will gain the ability to directly trace the identity behind any online account, regardless of platform.
Officially, participation in the system remains voluntary—but experts warn it may soon become mandatory in practice, either through formal legislation or via gradual expansion to all major digital services. "It’s hard to see this as anything other than an attempt to eliminate the feeling of anonymity," said Laura Edelson, a computer science researcher at Northeastern University in Boston and co-author of a recent study on Chinese internet censorship. "The goal is to keep an internal ‘cop’ in every person’s head. And the most effective way to do that is to erase even the illusion of anonymity," she added.
Made in China
Fifty Years Without Reciprocity
The EU–China Summit Takes Place Amid Trade Disputes and Deep Diplomatic Chill
China Rehearses a Blockade of Taiwan
Beijing is Pressuring the Island Through Drills, Laws, and Economic Leverage, Aiming to Break Its Resistance by 2027—Before the U.S. Can Intervene
Rapid Ascent, Heavy Toll
The deaths of top AI experts raise questions about the cost of China’s technological rise
The regulation behind the initiative, first introduced last year, was published in May. It was drafted by six government agencies, including the Ministry of State Security and the Cyberspace Administration. Officials claim the system is designed to enhance personal data protection—limiting access by private companies, reducing leak risks, and helping combat fraud.
The official Xinhua news agency described the system as a "protective shield" that would allow "citizens to truly feel that safety is close at hand," without sacrificing convenience.
According to James Gunn, a Hong Kong–based data protection lawyer, problems like phone scams and data leaks are indeed widespread in China. The new system, he argues, "will reduce the ability of third parties to access your personal data."
Critics, however, warn that the real impact lies in the consolidation of personal information under direct state control—adding to the already vast troves of citizen data accessible to Chinese authorities. Experts argue that the new digital ID will make it easier to link multiple online accounts to a single individual. While the system is unlikely to allow real-time tracking of browsing history or activity logs, they say, it still marks a significant shift. "Yes, technically, authorities already have access to much of this information," said Jessica Batke, editor at ChinaFile and co-author of a report on censorship. "But when it is centralized into a single government-managed hub with direct access, it becomes a fundamentally different level of control."
Experts also warn that the digital ID framework could enable the introduction of so-called "digital cordons"—a scenario in which individuals are cut off from essential online services that underpin daily life in China, from mobile payments and metro access to workplace communications.
Nguyen Phong Hoang, a computer science researcher at the University of British Columbia who studies China’s Great Firewall, says the ID system may pave the way for personalized censorship. Beijing, he explains, could tailor content restrictions not by platform or geography, but at the level of individual users or groups. "If implemented in full, this system could bring us to a point where censorship is customized," Hoang said. "The precision and intensity of control would increase dramatically."
Moreover, despite official claims of enhanced security, the mass collection of personal data carries risks of its own—from leaks to cyberattacks. Without significant investment in cybersecurity, the consequences could be severe, Hoang warns. "The government must commit major resources to ensure the system’s integrity and data handling practices," he said. "If malicious actors gain access to this data, the damage could be enormous. This database must be protected with the highest level of security."
These fears are not unfounded: in 2022, hackers claimed to have breached a Shanghai police database containing personal records of over one billion people, and attempted to sell the data online.
The new digital ID system has already drawn criticism from within China. Some see it as an overreach by the state. Lao Dongyan, a law professor at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, publicly condemned the initiative, calling it an attempt to impose total control over online activity. Her post was eventually censored. Others, however, have supported the move, describing it as a step toward stronger protection of internet users’ personal data.
Deng Yufeng, an artist whose work focuses on digital surveillance in China, expressed ambivalence: "On one hand, it’s definitely a step forward; on the other, it clearly expands state control," he said. "The digital ID will add a new ‘protection net’ for online privacy, but the technology itself isn’t to blame. What matters is who controls it and how — there must be external oversight, accountability mechanisms for data leaks, and guarantees of user rights."
Jeremy Daum, a senior fellow at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, believes the change is largely technical. In a system where real-name registration has long been mandatory, true digital anonymity has already disappeared. "Internet anonymity is important, but in China, it’s long gone," he said. "That ship has sailed."
Still, the new system illustrates how China’s model of censorship and surveillance continues to evolve. Jessica Batke likened it to a hydraulic system: "It’s like managing the flow of water — you can open or close the valves, adjust the pressure depending on what you need."
According to her, the digital ID is just one part of a broader national strategy. "Chinese authorities aren’t just trying to control information — they’re trying to reshape the knowledge environment itself: what people can access, how they interpret it, and ultimately, what they believe," Batke said. "The goal is to make the information ecosystem safe for the Communist Party."