ICP license (abbreviation for ''Internet Content Provider''; ) is a permit issued by the Chinese
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the Chinese government, established in March 2008, is the state agency of the People's Republic of China responsible for regulation and development of the postal service, Internet, wireless ...
(MIIT) to permit China-based websites to operate in China. The ICP license numbers for Chinese websites can often be found on the bottom of the front webpage.
History
This license regime was instated by the ''Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China'' (中华人民共和国电信条例) that was promulgated in September 2000. All websites with their own
domain name
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services and more. As ...
that operate inside China are required to obtain a license (whether hosted on a server in mainland China or provided into China via a
CDN
CDN may refer to:
Places
* Canada (Canadian), a North American country
* , a neighborhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Technology
* Content delivery network, on the Internet
* Change detection and notification, of Web pages
Transportation
* Can ...
), and China-based Internet service providers are required to block the site if a license is not acquired within a grace period. Licenses are issued at the provincial level.
Operating from China is also a prerequisite for acquiring a license. Foreign companies such as
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
, unable to acquire an ICP license on their own, often partner with Chinese Internet companies to use the licenses of the Chinese company.
The Chinese government divides ICP related business activities into two categories: Basic telecommunication services (BTS) and Value-added telecommunication services (VATS). In the “Classification Catalogue of Telecommunication Services” () BTS refers to providing a public network infrastructure, public data transmission and basic voice communication services. Whereas, VATS refers to public network infrastructure to provide telecommunications and information services. Details of the services requiring an ICP license are regulated in the section “B25 Information Services”.
Details
The MIIT issues two different types of ICP numbers, which are managed at the provincial level:
Get an Internet Content Provider (ICP) number for your public website], Microsoft Corporation
*ICP license for commercial websites, which cover any website offering goods or services to customers. These numbers follow the format 京ICP证123456号 (in this example, "京" represents
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, "证" means license, and "号" means "No.").
*ICP filing for non-commercial websites which are purely informational and are not involved in direct sales. These numbers follow the format 京ICP备12345678号 or 京ICP备2021123456号 (in this example, "京" represents
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, "备" means "record" and "号" means "No.").
Obtaining an ICP number takes an average span of 20 business days after submission of documents to a hosting provider. If the documents are deemed valid upon review by the provider, they are forwarded onto the MIIT for further review. If at either stage the documents are rejected, the applicant is required to submit additional documents.
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See also
* Internet censorship in China
Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China (PRC) affects both publishing and viewing online material. Many controversial events are censored from news coverage, preventing many Chinese citizens from knowing about the actions of th ...
* Internet in China
China has been on the internet intermittently since May 1989 and on a permanent basis since 20 April 1994, although with limited access. In 2008, China became the country with the largest population on the Internet and, , has remained so. As ...
References
External links
Ministry of Information Industry Records
Internet in China
{{PRChina-stub