China has rolled out a nationwide online identity authentication platform that issues government-backed digital ID numbers and certificates to internet users. The system, launched on 16 July, transitions the "online ID card" from pilot status to full implementation and is accessed through a National Online Identity Authentication app that has already been downloaded more than 16 million times, according to state information-technology outlets. Authorities say the digital ID will let users verify themselves for e-commerce, public services and other web activities without exposing their national ID numbers, reducing the risk of data leaks. However, policy analysts warn the scheme further centralises Beijing’s control of the domestic internet and could facilitate closer censorship and surveillance of the country’s roughly 1 billion online users.