When I registered at my local gym (Cheetah Gym Bucktown represent!), the folks behind the counter took a photo of me that would show up every time I signed in. This, presumably, is to prevent me from letting my friends abuse my gym membership. Other places do it too, including discount membership stores like Costco and Sam's Club. Businesses like Internet cafes, on the other hand, aren't usually known for demanding ID—customers can waltz in and be almost as anonymous there as they are on the Internet. But if you're an Internet café user in Beijing, China, you will soon be required to register with your real name and a photo before logging on.
53 Internet cafés in Beijing's Xicheng District will be fitted with a new login system by the end of this month, according to the district's Culture Administration Enforcement Team. Additionally, all eight urban districts of Beijing will require Internet cafés to adopt real-name registration by June of this year, and all eight suburban districts will need to install the new system before 2009. The new system will include new management and supervisory capabilities, which Xicheng's District Culture Commission says will "provide a database for supervision decision-making."
The move isn't surprising, considering China's strict stance on Internet use. The government already applies filters to any incoming Internet content to ensure that the public isn't exposed to any "backward" thoughts, and prohibits citizens from posting things that the government doesn't agree with. Last year, the government stopped just short of requiring all bloggers in the country to register their real names, mostly due to near-impossible logistics and costs involved.
