Tencent Begins Real Name Registration for QQ Games
Oriental Morning Post, 9/06/10
Chinese internet company Tencent (0700.HK) has quietly begun real name registration for its QQ Games platform in accordance with the gradual implementation of the "Interim Regulations for Online Game Management" issued by China's Ministry of Culture.
The "gaming center" for QQ Games has already been automatically upgraded once since the beginning of this month. Following the upgrade, a "real name authentication" window automatically opens when users log in. Users must supply their real name and national ID card number or be refused access. Users who register will receive a free virtual item as a reward.
However, a journalist for the Oriental Morning Post reported that if users press the close button in the upper-right-hand corner of the registration window, they can still access and play games as normal, but each time they open a new game, the registration window will appear again. A spokesperson for Tencent said that points and items accrued by non-registered players will lose half their value after three hours of game time, and drop to zero value after five hours of game time (i.e. the system will treat the user as an underage user).
According to the QQ Games platform's "real name registration and anti-addiction system" website, the system is intended to prevent internet addiction among underage players, and the ID card system is the only way to verify that users are over 18 years of age. The website states that users' ID card numbers are bound to the corresponding QQ account number.
Tencent customer service said that specific operations of the real name verification system is completely under China's Public Security Bureau, and operators are unable to access users' personal information.
The Tencent website also states that once entered and confirmed, real name registration data cannot be altered or deleted. Tencent customer service said that users cannot amend identification data after it is entered because the real name registration system is currently still being improved. When asked about the possibility that identification data could be misappropriated, a customer service representative said the system has yet to be perfected.
Keywords: QQ Games Internet youth users Public Security Bureau Tencent QQ Ministry of Culture 0700.HK real name system online gaming regulation
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