The first thing that makes China’s internet challenging to navigate is its content regulations. Most famously, China is known for its so-called the Great Firewall, which is a nation-wide rulesets-based content censoring mechanism blocks and filters content that do not comply with the Government’s regulation. The most well-known cases would be the blocking of Google and Facebook. To deliver content in China with less risks, you will need to register and license your website.
Internet Content Provider (ICP) License is a standard license required by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) for companies looking to establish a web presence in China. Companies will only be eligible to host a website in China or use China-based hosting and CDN services if they have a valid ICP license.
An ICP is required if you plan to host a website or use a content delivery network in mainland China. It is also possible to host websites outside China in China-rim areas (like Hong Kong or Japan) if you don’t want to go through applying for an ICP. However, this approach often comes with a higher delivery cost, compromised performance, and the risk of content being blocked permanently by the Chinese government.
There are two types of ICP: ICP Filing, also known as ICP Bei’An in Chinese, is required for non-commercial websites and can’t be used to generate revenue.
ICP Commercial License, or ICP Zheng in Chinese, on the other hand, is for commercial websites to engage in online retail activities legally.
If you have any questions regarding acquiring an ICP, visit Baishan’s ICP Guideline or send an email to info@us.baishancloud.com for a free consultation session.
Find out more about this and related topics:
Find out about BaishanCloud’s China CDN
Read about the challenges of delivering content into China
Browse our blog posts about ICP and The Great Firewall
