MANILA, Philippines – The effects of China’s new Internet rules requiring users to provide real-name identification for Internet use are being felt just one week after word of it spread.

The Washington Post reports that the accounts of a number of bloggers and activists on Chinese microblogging website Weibo have been shut down.

The report lists investigative reporter Shi Feike and former Southern Metropolis Daily editor Cheng Yizhong as two of those affected. Also affected were Sichuan blogger-activist Ran Yunfei and Xiao Han, an associate professor at the China University of Political Science and Law.

Xinhua, China’s official state news agency, said on December 28 the new rules put forth “are quite moderate, as they mainly require Internet users to use their real names when signing web access agreements with service providers.”

While Chinese bloggers might be inclined to disagree with the direction of this “new era of cyberspace management,” as Xinhua put it, their options for finding a place to express their disagreement are likely to be more closely scrutinized by the government. – Rappler.com