Zhihu will take down the anonymous function to respond to controversial content | announcements | function
On July 7th, Zhihu announced in an article that it would take down the "anonymous function".
The announcement points out that as an early product mechanism in the community, the initial intention of launching the anonymous feature was based on open discussions and friendly interaction among users.
However, with the increasingly complex Internet communication environment, Zhihu has completed offline development of the anonymous function in the latest version of the App and recently submitted it to major app stores for review in order to ensure benign discussions in the community.
The announcement states that the new version is expected to be launched on major app stores on July 14th, and the anonymous function will be officially discontinued on both the old and new versions of the app and PC. At that time, the "anonymous publishing" portal will be cancelled, and users will not be able to anonymously create questions or publish content.
The announcement states that users are free to choose whether to convert historical anonymous content that netizens are concerned about to their real names.
![Zhihu will take down the anonymous function to respond to controversial content | announcements | function](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/c26b5aec6933537efd647dadc1b5e026.jpg)
After the announcement was released, many Zhihu users engaged in discussions under it.
Supporters of cancellation believe that "the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Cancelling anonymity reduces Zhihu's boasting," which can prevent anyone from using anonymity to spread rumors and engage in personal attacks.
But there are also users who have raised objections, saying "Where can I send small secrets after anonymity is no longer possible?" and "I don't know what other features can distinguish other communities after Zhihu cancels anonymity."
Another user raised a series of questions: "Can the user interface be customized without anonymity?" "Is the previous anonymous content still unchanged?" "How can I prevent private message harassment without anonymity?"
In fact, there has already been a debate about the anonymity function of Zhihu.
![Zhihu will take down the anonymous function to respond to controversial content | announcements | function](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/84b2377d10f3b7263e8606592458c06b.jpg)
Previously, Huang Yuanpu, the founder of Yiou Network, stated that he saw multiple people anonymously spreading rumors about him on Zhihu. Later, he sent a WeChat message to Zhihu founder and CEO Zhou Yuan to provide opinions and suggestions, "Can we open a counter evidence function? If it can be proven that anonymous users are spreading rumors, we can disclose the information of the rumor maker, which can make anonymous posts more cautious."
Huang Yuanpu stated that he will continue to report Zhou Yuan and Zhihu with his real name to relevant departments until Zhihu changes its current mechanism.
On June 22nd, Zhou Yuan responded to the recent controversy over the anonymous feature of Zhihu on his social media.
Zhou Yuan stated that the original intention of the anonymous feature was to maintain an open community environment for discussion, where users share their personal experiences without any personal privacy concerns. In today's complex communication environment, this mechanism has also caused more and more troubles, and Zhihu will make changes.
It is worth mentioning that on July 7th, the National Cyberspace Administration solicited opinions on the "Regulations on the Governance of Cyberspace Violence Information".
![Zhihu will take down the anonymous function to respond to controversial content | announcements | function](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/eff6dcafa207ce9a02dfb35986e0d46b.jpg)
Among them, it is proposed to stipulate that network information service providers should strengthen the management of online community sections and groups, and shall not collect online violence information in terms, topics, hyperlinks, groups, post bars, and other links. It is prohibited to create topic sections and group accounts that publish content with poor orientation under the guise of anonymous submission, empty shouting, etc.