Three methodological approaches were used to develop the research, findings, and analysis of the various sections of this report. Each is detailed below.

Efforts to Preserve China’s Cyber Ideological Security

For this section we conducted a policy review, in which we analyzed party documents, laws, and regulations issued by Chinese government bodies between 1972 and 2023 regarding Real-Name Registration (实名制[登记]).

See a list of relevant items from 2000 onwards in Appendix 2 (references to individual entries will be made throughout the report).

RNR-related Access Barriers and Patterns of Exclusion

For this section we conducted three interrelated research procedures. In March 2024, we conducted app walkthroughs to capture transnational RNR barriers. In doing so, we selected all apps that were labeled as “Social” in Apple or Google app stores that allowed for information exchange. This resulted in a group of China’s 62 most influential apps, as measured by monthly downloads (Apple’s App Store and Google’ Play Store).

Through AppleCensorship.org, we then gathered censorship data by testing app-store level censorship to check whether a specific app was available across the 58 countries covered by our dataset.

Finally, we conducted an anonymous survey to gauge the impact of access barriers on transnational audience. In doing so, we surveyed perceptions of registration and account maintenance policies of Chinese platforms through an opinion poll among 65 members of the at-risk community. This group included individuals who face significant risks when using these platforms, such as political dissidents, ethnic minorities, activists, or other individuals vulnerable to surveillance and censorship by the Chinese government.

For more details, please see Appendix 1: Methodology.

RNR Policy Impacts on Global App Downloads

For this section we conducted two interrelated research procedures. To scope the transnational impact of China’s restrictive RNR system, we first undertook a data analysis to examine download patterns, drawing on a dataset provided by app store intelligence provider Appmagic. The dataset contains monthly download statistics from 2015-2023 across 60 countries (including China) on the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store, covering about 93% of global downloads. Based on this data, we conducted time-series analysis to identify the overseas impact of access barriers.

We then used population and diaspora data provided by the World Bank, the United Nations (UN), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to assess how access barriers impact members of the diaspora community.

For more details, please see Appendix 1: Methodology.