Blockchain technology will be used to verify the real-name identities of China’s 1.4 billion people, according to an announcement by China’s national blockchain initiative, Blockchain-Based Service Network (BSN). The move is likely to raise concerns among data privacy advocates.

China’s Ministry of Public Security led the effort, called “RealDID,” in cooperation with BSN.

With the launch of the RealDID service, users will be able to anonymously register and log into websites using their DID address and private key, allowing business data and transactions to remain separate from personal information.

China’s top six social media platforms: WeChat, Sina Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu have over 500,000 or 1 million users State media reported in October 2022 that content creators with more than 1,000 followers are required to publish their real names or the real names of their funders. State media said the move was meant to allow public oversight and boost credibility.

BSN said in a release that this is the world’s first national real-name decentralized identity system.

BSN is operated by the China National Information Center in cooperation with China Mobile, a major Chinese high-tech company, and China UnionPay. International operations are managed independently by BSN Global, which is said to be an independent organization behind a firewall.

CoinDesk reports that federal government employees are using Chinese-made blockchains and using Tether ( A bipartisan bill is being drafted that would ban companies like Tether’s parent company, iFinex, from doing business with them.

Despite China’s human rights concerns, the U.S. government recently selected the Chinese Institute of Forensic Science under the Ministry of Public Security to promote counter-drug cooperation with the aim of combating the smuggling of fentanyl and related chemicals into the United States. removed from the sanctions list.

In response, China warned chemical manufacturers not to produce fentanyl precursors.

｜Translation: CoinDesk JAPAN
｜Edited by: Toshihiko Inoue
｜Image: Shutterstock
｜Original text: China to Verify Citizens’ Identities With New Blockchain-Based Platform