China’s new plan for tracking people online

Netizens in China cannot post a comment on Weibo, a social-media service, or buy something on Pinduoduo, an e-commerce site, without first using their national ID or phone number to register with such platforms. That allows the services and, more important, the government to keep tabs on what people are doing online. It helps the authorities to combat such scourges as cyber-bullying—or to find people who criticise China’s ruler, Xi Jinping. Internet firms use the consumer data for their own financial gain.