Danwei summarizes an article from the Liaoning Legal News (see original Chinese version) which questions whether the proposed real-name registration system for blogs and other forms of communication have any basis in Chinese law:
In other words, local laws, rules enacted by departments under the State Council, and regulations set up by local governments do not have the legal power to compel people to present ID. National laws do have that power, which is why ID may be demanded when doing things like placing something up for auction, registering as a lawyer, staying at a hotel, and making purchases online.
Of the real-name systems that have been proposed recently, relevant national laws are only in place for the banking system; real-name systems for mobile phones, online games, blogs, and other areas do not have that legal basis. [Full text]
