China Unveils Blockchain-Powered Platform for Citizen Identity Verification

In light of a recent adjustment in government regulations mandating social media influencers to disclose their real names, China's national blockchain initiative, the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), has announced the utilization of blockchain technology to validate the authentic identities of the country's vast population of 1.4 billion. This strategic move is expected to provoke concerns among advocates for data privacy.

The RealDID project, spearheaded by China's Ministry of Public Security with support from BSN, is set to launch a service enabling users to register and navigate websites anonymously through the use of Decentralized Identifiers (DID) addresses and private keys. This innovative approach ensures the segregation of business-related data and transactions from personal information.

In a development reported in October, state media revealed that prominent social media platforms in China, including WeChat, Sina Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu, are now requiring content creators with over 500,000 or 1 million followers to publicly disclose either their real names or those of their financial supporters. The stated purpose of this requirement is to enhance credibility and facilitate public oversight.

BSN underscored in a statement that this initiative represents the world's first national-level decentralized identity system based on real names. Managed by China's National Information Center in collaboration with major Chinese tech firms China Mobile and China UnionPay, BSN China operates independently on a global scale through BSN Global, identified as a separate and isolated entity.

Recent reports highlight a bipartisan bill in the United States aimed at prohibiting federal government officials from utilizing blockchains manufactured in China and engaging with companies like Tether's parent company iFinex. The primary objective is to mitigate potential national security risks and safeguard private data from foreign adversaries' access.

In a noteworthy diplomatic move, the U.S. removed China's Institute of Forensic Science, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security, from a trade sanctions list. This decision, despite concerns regarding China's human rights practices, is motivated by the goal of advancing collaboration in counternarcotics efforts and combating the trafficking of fentanyl and related chemicals into the U.S.

In response to this diplomatic development, China issued a caution to its chemical manufacturers, advising them against producing fentanyl precursors. The National Narcotics Control Commission of China, in a recent circular, explicitly stated that individuals involved in the production of chemicals used to manufacture the opioid are at risk of falling under the "long-arm jurisdiction" of foreign law enforcement agencies.

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