Sina Microblogging Users Ignore Real-Name Requirement
Marbridge Consulting, 3/16/12
While Chinese Internet firm Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) and other Beijing-based microblogging platform providers were supposed to have fully implemented real-name registration requirements today, by midday reportedly only 19 mln of Sina's over 300 mln microblogging account holders had complied.
The low level of compliance can be explained in part by the fact that a significant number of Sina's total microblog users - estimates range from 20-50% - are believed to be zombie follower accounts; these accounts can't comply with the real-name registration requirement, because they don't belong to real people.
For those accounts that do belong to real people, Marbridge expects broad real-name registration compliance only once the platform operators begin enforcing the requirement and closing loopholes for circumvent it. So far users who registered Sina microblogging accounts prior to the 3-month transition period (December 16, 2011 to March 16, 2012) are still able to post and forward without registering their real-name details and an account one Marbridge manager registered using only a pre-paid mobile number in mid-February can also still post and forward. While its possible users are still being given until the end of the day to comply, it appears most are waiting to see if they actually lose the privilege to post.
Keywords: Internet Sina microblogging real name system
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