The other leading microblog, called Tencent Weibo, now also requires new users to register with their real name.

ECONOMIST: The power of microblogs

Some people have multiple microblog accounts: Tencent has its own QQ-branded Weibo service.

FORBES: Putting A Price On Sina Weibo, China's Answer To Twitter

They ordered the two most popular microblog services, operated by Sina and Tencent, to impose a three-day ban on one of their most popular user functions the ability to comment on others' posts. (Each service has more than 300m registered users.) And they arrested six microbloggers, some prominent, for spreading rumours.

ECONOMIST: Uncertain politics