China Creates Massive Online ID Database

schwaang writes that while the US continues to hash out concerns over the Real ID Act, which aims to create a national ID by standardizing state driver's licenses, China has already implemented a massive online ID database, which they say will help prevent fraud. From the Xinhua English-language site: "Anyone can now send a text message or visit the country's population information center's website, to check if the name and the ID number of a person's identity card match. If they do match the ID card-holder's picture also appears, said the Ministry, adding that no other information is available to ensure a citizen's privacy is protected. Completed at the end of 2006, China's population information database, the world's largest, contains personal information on 1.3 billion citizens. Giving public accessing to the database is also designed to correct mistakes if an individual discovers that their name, number and picture don't match."

Comments

yeah

[macadamia_harold]

China has already implemented a massive online ID database, which they say will help prevent fraud.

And by "fraud", they mean "democracy".

Re:yeah

[VJ42]

Well they're already one better than the proposed UK ID database. What's the world coming to when China is giving public oversight to a huge ID scheme, and here in the UK the government won't even release it's proposed spending plans on it?

Re:yeah

[HBI]

You can't support that statement with any verifiable evidence. If Gore had gotten his recounts he would still have lost.

That 8k block of Kennedy votes coming out of Chicago, however... please. Luckily, Nixon had more class than Gore. Considering the extent of Nixon's crimes, makes me wonder what's in Gore's closet? Accepting funds from foreign countries during election campaigns might only be the tip of the iceberg.

But you conspiracy theorists just keep on...

Re:yeah

[kamapuaa]

How exactly would a system where the public can check if a person's name and ID number match, be a damper on democracy? Does democracy rely on defrauding people about your real ID number? In the US I have to give my ID number to get a credit card, go to the hospital, enroll in a school, etc. These institutions have to confirm my real identity. Is that anti-democratic?

Software side

[LiquidCoooled]

Thats gotta be a pretty massive database, any ideas about the tech running underneath?

Unlike the NSA

[deathguppie]

They are not keeping this all secret. I don't think it's as big of a deal if we have access to and knowledge of what is kept in the database. I already know that I exist and that there are records of my existance. As long as there is no address or name alongside the picture I don't see this as a bad thing.

This kind of open ID database is not nearly as frightening as the ones being made of us without our knowledge or confirmation of facts pertaining to us.

Prevents fraud?

[DanTheManMS]

Giving public accessing to the database is also designed to correct mistakes if an individual discovers that their name, number and picture don't match.

Ignoring the misuse of "accessing" for the moment, how is one assured that the correction is in fact correct? What is stopping identity fraud from taking place?

Re:Prevents fraud?

[hclyff]

This is one of the warning signs that you spend too much time on Wikipedia.

You see, some pages on the internet don't have an "Edit" button you can click on.

Re:The US has got to get with it..

[Turn-X Alphonse]

Note to parent: If you have to point out it's satire then it's poorly done.

Spam/Marketing?

[Conception]

So, this seems like a good idea with potential terrible consequences. Let's say I've got a bot net of a million machines. We run the bot-net on the database pages, trying random numbers, gathering a database of names, numbers and pictures. Then I take these names, id numbers and pictures and start making IDs maybe? Or using photo recognition to classify people into different groups for spam/marketing purposes, or maybe by ethnicity by last name, or match it up to a directory service and getting addresses and all...

Of course, this could probably be defeated with enough, "Mother's maiden name?" sorta questions and all, but just seems like a ripe source of information that you may not want getting out. By itself, it's not so damaging, but paired with other resources, perhaps it's the last piece in a perfect identity fraud scheme.

Baby Steps

[Duncan3]

This is merely a toy compared to what Google has on every US citizen. Equifax has the rest, and the CIA ties it all together.

The difference is what China has planned actually sounds useful to everyone, not just the watchers. An old idea, tried many times, but the bad guys want to be the only ones with that info.

What about errors and harassment?

[Quantum Jim]

I'm not so sure about this system. There must be errors in the database. What happens to the unfortunate individuals who don't match because of such an error? This also can be an easy way for the Chinese government to censor people.

If someone says something that the government doesn't like, they just insert an "error" into the database. Instant harassment that those poor individuals will have to go through before the error is fixed. Or even worse, the government could not admit to the change and simply lock the person up on fraud.

Re:If the picture doesn't match?

[Evilest Doer]

When I first moved to the SF Bay Area I had the same problem: I was unable to tell most of my coworkers apart. Since then I have learned to pick up on other cues: weight, dress, shoes, age, voice, location where I see them, etc. It is still moderately difficult to tell with some of them since their faces mostly look identical, but my heuristics allow me to identify the majority of them. And if I run into them outside the context of the workplace, in street clothes, it is much harder.

So, I take it then that you are an uncultured moron. The last job I had, I was about the only person there who wasn't Chinese (aren't H1-B visas great). I never had trouble telling anyone apart. I guess you did and had to tell them apart in the ways you described probably since you never bothered to actually talk to any of them. In the first place, there are Han Chinese and about 51 other different minority groups throughout China. Then, of course, there are people who are mixed - half Han and half Manchurian being one of the more common mixes. Of course, stupid people like you would group them all together despite the incredible differences between them. Would you consider Swedes to be the same as Italians to be the same as Spaniards? Then why do you think all Chinese look the same? And even apart from vast racial differences, Chinese simply do not look so much alike each other. It is only ignorant people like you who believe so. Get out of your parents' basement and actually meet people for a change. Perhaps you'll even meet people who aren't incredible dumbasses like you.

Re:The US has got to get with it..

[rgigger]

Or you're posting to slashdot.

Re:Gestapo's dream

[jtheisen]

There is a picture of any German adult in some office at where he's registered. If the police needs to confirm your identity they can do so - and that's a great merit.

I'm currently living in the UK, where no ID cards exists. There are quite a few people around telling stories about that they need money and are willing to give it back to you later once they managed to travel back home / to their friends, etc. In Germany, you can tell them: Go to the police. Even if they lost their ID, the police can contact the city where they are registered and have them fax over a picture to prove peoples identity. The police will then be willing to provide the necessary help, even with money.

In they UK (and the US will be worse), there is simply no way at all to tell apart liars from people in need. I really hate this - if someone has a problem and asks for help, it needs to be sorted. This has nothing to do with Nazis, but with responsibility.

Re:open source society

[anthony_dipierro]

While it'd be better than a system where the government knows everything about everyone but the population doesn't, I still wouldn't want to live in a world without any secrets. Mob rule is not that much better than dictatorship, as there is far too much intolerance in the world. Think Salem Witch Trials, attitudes towards homosexuality, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, etc.

I'm also not a big fan of my actions being recorded. The problem with that is that it's too easy for someone who opposes you to take things out of context. A world in which everyone knows everything is a world which is controlled by the popular media. I also like the idea that I live in a world where I can make mistakes without everyone knowing about them.

Moving back to this program, I like the idea of being able to check that a name and an ID number match. Both of these items represent essentially the same thing. Adding in a picture I'm not so sure about.

floatin population

[dingDaShan]

China has massive class division between rich and poor. Rural dwellers are treated as second class citizens and mandated to have a city residence permit (which usually cost several times their annual income and can take months to get) to live in the city and earn a decent wage. There is currently a crackdown because of the Beijing Olympics and this may be part of it as another way to move the illegal rural people (the floating population) out of the cities. An ID card would make it easy to crosscheck with a database and then simply kick the person out.