scmp.com - The new virtual ID scheme has been in the beta stage since a draft regulation was launched in July last year.
China has officially introduced a controversial national cyber ID system, despite concerns from some experts and netizens over privacy and censorship.
The system aims to “protect the security of citizens’ identity information”, according to regulations that went into effect on Tuesday, backed by the Ministry of Public Security, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and four other authorities.
The app, whose beta version was launched last year, issues an encrypted virtual ID composed of random letters and digits so the person’s real name and ID number are not given to websites when verifying accounts. So far, it is not-mandatory for internet users to apply for the cyber ID.
Starting in 2017, Beijing started ordering online platforms to adopt real-name registration for applications such as instant messaging, microblogs, online forums and other websites that ask netizens to submit their ID numbers. Separately, official ID has been required to register a mobile phone number in China since 2010.
www.scmp.com - Heightened US chip export controls have prompted Chinese AI and chip companies to collaborate.
Chinese chipmaker Sophgo has adapted its compute card to power DeepSeek’s reasoning model, underscoring growing efforts by local firms to develop home-grown artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and reduce dependence on foreign chips amid tightening US export controls.
Sophgo’s SC11 FP300 compute card successfully passed verification, showing stable and effective performance in executing the reasoning tasks of DeepSeek’s R1 model in tests conducted by the China Telecommunication Technology Labs (CTTL), the company said in a statement on Monday.
A compute card is a compact module that integrates a processor, memory and other essential components needed for computing tasks, often used in applications like AI.
CTTL is a research laboratory under the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, an organisation affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
