The RealDID service would let customers sign up for and access websites anonymously.
The official state media said this would allow for more public oversight and boost legitimacy.
Data privacy activists are sure to be concerned with the news that the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), China’s national-level blockchain program, would employ blockchain technology to validate the real-name identities of the country’s 1.4 billion inhabitants. The RealDID concept was supported by BSN and was driven by China’s Ministry of Public Security.
Moreover, launching the RealDID service would let customers sign up for and access websites anonymously using DID addresses and private keys, separating personal information from commercial data and transactions.
According to official media reports from October, content producers with over 500,000 or 1 million followers on China’s main six social media platforms—WeChat, Sina Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu—are required to publicly publish either their actual identities or the names of their financial sponsors.
Decentralized Identification System
Moreover, the official state media said this would allow for more public oversight and boost legitimacy. Also, according to a press release from BSN, this is the first decentralized identification system on a nationwide basis using actual names.
The National Information Center of China, in conjunction with China Mobile and China UnionPay, operates BSN China. Apparently a distinct, firewalled organization, BSN Global handles its foreign business autonomously.
To prevent possible threats to national security and to protect private data from foreign adversaries’ access, a bipartisan U.S. bill was previously reported to be in the works, which would prohibit federal government officials from using blockchains made in China and from transacting with companies like iFinex, the parent company of Tether.