China wants to make proof of identification a requirement for people who buy new cell phone numbers. The regulation was “the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones,” the China Daily newspaper reported.
However, some users are concerned about privacy issues. They fear that their information may be sold or used for other purposes. Human rights advocates say China might be looking for a way to track people who spontaneously join protests. Before the new ruling people could buy low-cost mobile phone SIM cards anonymously with cash and use them right away.
“The policy on existing users is not being carried out very forcefully. If existing users do not register their names, their service probably will not be discontinued.” stated Xu Fei, spokesman for the communication organization China Telecom Ltd.
Street newsstands in China, where cell phone accounts were once conveniently sold, will also be prohibited from selling SIM cards, Xu added.
Other countries that have such rules say they curb the use of unregistered phones in terror attacks or drug crimes. In China, authorities say they have their sights on rampant junk messages. The rules that started Wednesday apply to everyone, including foreigners on short visits.
“I think the government has an eye on Iran where protests were fueled by text messages and Twitter and they are doing this for social stability reasons,” said Wang Songlian, research coordinator of the Chinese Human Rights Defenders.
Federal legislation has been introduced in the United States, where prepaid phones have long been used by drug dealers. In many places, however, the rules are easily skirted with fake IDs or false names.
