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

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.

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: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.