Can’t tell if this was discussed before, here’s the full text of the regulation in Chinese: https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2022-11/26/content_5728939.htm
For normal users of social platforms this means that your geolocation (location based on IP address) will be displayed on your profile page and next to posts or comments you make. For users in China the location shown will be the province or region you’re in, for foreign users it will be the country. This helps to combat misinformation in cases where users are making false claims for certain locations when they aren’t actually there.
On specific details of implementation, on Weibo the location shown on your profile is the location you’re usually posting from and doesn’t change immediately if you travel to other provinces or countries. The location shown on posts/comments does seem to be real-time.
Other parts of the regulation include stronger verification of special accounts.
I can appreciate the sentiment behind this but realistically with VPNs being a thing this won’t do much against the most dedicated trolls and bots who are very likely just going to obfuscate their location.
Using a VPN or other methods to hide your IP address will only delay tracking efforts, and throwaway accounts are not a thing in China with real-name verification, though there is a similar problem with personal information being stolen to register accounts, and selling your verified account for profit.
If a person is in China and tries to use a VPN/proxy based overseas to hide their real IP, they would have to add an additional layer of redirection to avoid running into a situation where multiple accounts are posting from the same IP address. If a person is overseas and tries to use a proxy based in China to make it seem like they are in China, well then they’re just inviting the authorities to ask for server logs from the local provider, it’s the same situation if they’re in China but using an IP address from another province.
Of course most trolls or bots aren’t going to be targeted IRL, usually their accounts gets muted for some duration or banned if they violate laws or platform TOS. Occasionally you see reports of people being detained for spreading rumours or outright false claims that become widely circulated.
If the person is based overseas, there’s nothing you can do to them IRL unless you’re the US.
This isn’t about whether the Chinese government can track you, the law is meant to enchance transparency online for the benefit of other users, so you cannot lie to others and pretend to be someone you are not. While it is true that a government which really wants to can track you regardless, the average user cannot.
Sorry I got the impression that you meant trolls and bots hiding their real location to avoid law enforcement, because normal users can’t tell either way.