Netease reports that China Yahoo will soon resume the 3721 network real name service.
The new service will be called Chinese Online 2007 instead of 3721, but it will still feature the same functions as 3721 by allowing users to use the Chinese address search function after installing a plug-in. According to Netease, a new website that hosts the new service has been launched.
Having already been accused of being spyware, China Yahoo had thought previously of disbanding the service. In September 2006, Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, the parent company of China Yahoo, said they would no longer develop 3721. Soon after Ma made the remark, 3721 website was turned into a Chinese site offering urls and the plug-in of 3721 was replaced by Yahoo Assistant Tool Bar, which still carried the stigma of being spyware.