China’s Ministry of Public Security plans to roll out a new blockchain-based platform called RealDID to verify the real names of its citizens.

According to a press release for the event held on December 12 by Chinese blockchain firm Blockchain Service Network (BSN), the project, planned in conjunction with the Chinese government, will have multiple use cases.

These include personal real name verification, encrypted identity protection and certification, private logins, business IDs, identity certificate services and ID information vouchers.

The app will allow Chinese citizens to register and log into online portals anonymously using DID addresses, ensuring that transactions and data remain confidential between individuals and businesses.

While there was no official mention of a rollout date or when it would be rolled out to China’s vast population of 1.4 billion people, the announcement said it has “tremendous potential” in ensuring the privacy of personal information.

The National Information Center of China manages BSN and maintains ties with China-based large technology companies such as China Mobile and China UnionPay.

This comes after news in late October that six Chinese social networks, including the popular WeChat, had enacted a mandate requiring content creators with between 500,000 and 1 million followers to publicly disclose their real names and any financial backing.

China has recently accelerated many of its initiatives and regulations regarding new technologies, including the development of artificial intelligence, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and cryptocurrencies.

The company is also working to become less dependent on semiconductor chips made in the United States by increasing domestic production.