Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the state body for internet censorship, has announced new guidelines for controlling the blockchain space in the country. The plan for tighter control over blockchain service providers was introduced in October of last year.
Beijing’s Blockchain Information Service Management Regulations will take effect from 15 February, showing how urgently the government wants to curb content which it feels might be detrimental to the state.
The new regulation has singled out blockchain providers, despite published comments over the past year coming from Beijing that blockchain has huge potential to streamline business. These regulations state that providers cannot “produce, duplicate, publish, [or] disseminate” banned content under state law.
More specifically, the new rules have defined blockchain providers as “entities or nodes” providing public information through desktop or mobile sites. Any companies providing these services will need to register with the CAC within ten days providing their names, server addresses, service types, and server addresses. No compliance with the CAC will face fines between USD 737 to USD 4,420.
The new regulations have a broad range, also incorporating news reporting, publishing, education, and pharmaceutical services, which would all be required to obtain licenses before registering with the CAC.
China has strict internet laws and the space is highly monitored by the state. It is thought that the tightening of control by the CAC is a response to those who have used blockchain tech in the past in order to circumvent Beijing’s control over the country’s internet content.
The most recent violation of China’s strict internet laws occurred in July 2018 when pharmaceutical company Changsheng Biotechnology was put in the spotlight online by bloggers who listed the firm’s transgressions on the Ethereum blockchain.
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