South Korea, the first country to adopt an online real-name system, will start to scrap this policy in 2012 due to hacking and exposure of personal details. As China just begins to launch real-name registration online, many see the neighbor's plan as proof of the "inferior" nature of the policy.
Observers call 2011 the year of the "online real-name system" in China. The Ministry of Railways deployed a real-name system to sell train tickets online. Meanwhile, a real-name system was applied to Weibo. Both were big moves to tackle social headaches like ticket scalping and online slander. However, the former won much applause, while the latter was bashed for bringing about stricter censorship.
A real-name system is surely not a panacea. It has been repeated a thousand times that this is a double-edged sword. However, it is still the best of all untried solutions at hand for China. In a nation with 1.3 billion people, a small problem can ferment into social calamity. In the wake of Japan's earthquake in March, an online rumor caused a run on salt throughout China. A real-name policy, if properly used, can prevent such malice.
This requires people with public power to adjust their mentality. There were several cases in which local authorities detained a citizen for "online slander," but were then found out to be protecting the interests of some local officials. If this continues, a real-name system will undoubtedly infringe on the freedom of expression online.
Meanwhile, a greater sense of responsibility should grow among the public. This is the essence of a real-name system - people cannot hide behind a virtual ID to scam and assault others at random. It is true that anonymous expression on Weibo has led to an unprecedented vigor in public expression. But it is always those outspoken people who reveal themselves who exert the biggest influence. An anonymous "democracy" is far from enough.
A real-name system poses greater challenges to Internet security protection. The lesson China should learn from South Korea is to spare no effort in preventing large-scale personal information leaks. A recent series of password leak scandals in China shows that this will be a difficult task. But this is no reason to ditch the whole policy.
Across the world, many politicians and scholars believe that real-name registration will be a long-term tendency.
We have enjoyed the novelty of anonymous virtual society and berated downside. Now the real-name era should be embraced.