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China Demands Real Names From Mobile Phone Users
itwbennett writes "Starting this month, mobile carriers in China are requiring people who set up new mobile phone accounts to register with their real names as part of a new government measure to reduce anonymity among the country's 800 million mobile users. And within 3 years, the carriers must also register the real identities of all existing users, said China Telecom spokesman Xu Fei. The new policy comes as China has been pushing users to register with their real names online. In August, online gamers had to begin real-name registration under regulations that are meant to protect minors from Internet addiction and 'unhealthy' content."
The most common name of Chinese children will become Fuk Yu.
... and then they built the supercollider.
India has been doing this for years. It's not possible to get a sim card without a valid 'proof' of your identity. It's another matter that if the terrorists really want to get a sim card, this requirement wont stop them - as it's very easy to get forged documents.
I seem to recall AT&T demanding my social security number when I signed up.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
spain is doing the same - so why not china?
1. Register for a cell phone with the real name of someone you hate.
2. Commit a crime with the cell phone.
3. ???????????
4. PROFIT!!!!
...why does this matter and what would it solve? i'm not trolling, but the hong kong office of my company as 80 people in it' IT department. no lie, 50+ of them have the same name. that's just the IT group; add another 450+ for the other employees. we append port number to their names (informally) so we can have some idea of who it we are talking to. there are only so many names to go around for 5 billion people. i have to imagine that there must be some value in tracking this as any identifying marker is better than none. but still, it seems kind of useless. apologies if anyone takes this as a troll as that's not my intent. at what point does a common value loss it' "value"? 1 billion? 5 billion? what's the formula that makes this worthwhile?
Seem to recall having an issue getting a SIM in England, but it's been a while...
What surprises me is that China wasn't /already/ doing this.
Sent from my PDP-11
I wonder if Governments will start to clamp down on anonymous use of public phones, by requiring credit cards or pre paid cards with ID.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
So Obi-Wan has a private transaction and sells his phone to Skywalker. Skywalker then calls the service provider and tells him "his" address (i.e. Obi-Wan's for all the provider knows) has changed from 4523782378 First Street to 4361278 7th Avenue (where Skywalker in fact lives). How does the Gesta^H^H^H government know the phone has moved to Skywalker's hands now?
Anyway, bless the internet and chat. Fat chance trying to enforce traceability with that. Since any fool can set up OpenFire on his own cheap VPS server and run it with SSL to boot.
Thank you to the Chinese goverment waking up to this. The spamming levels should drop at least until the spammers find another method of delivery....
We have had to show photo id for as long as I can remember in Austraila when getting a new phone or sim card.
There really isn't that much seperating "us" and the "bad" guys these days except we are "us".
Cell phone users simply should register with their real identification, said Li Mi, a coffee shop worker. "This is good, it will be secure," she said. "I know some people will be afraid about revealing their personal information, but I don't think that will happen. The (companies) won't give that out."
Seriously Li Mi? You don't think the companies will sell your information to the highest bidder?
"I think it will be more secure and the carriers will be able to track and store my information", said Li Junru
Jeez. These kids are pretty brainwashed.
They're getting rid of one of the last anonymous communication tools in a country that heavily polices any speech which criticizes the government. And all these kids can think of is that it will allow them to restore their contact list from the company's server if they lose their phone.
-- Let us endeavor so to live that when we pass even the undertaker shall be sorry. -- M. Twain
I've got nothing to hide.
Singned,
Sum Yung Gai
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
Last year, when I visited India, the world's largest democracy, I tried to buy a pre-paid SIM card. They asked me for a photo, proof of address (like my hotel's address) and a photocopy of my passport. It seems it's standard in India since the Mumbai attack.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin
blame cell phone bombs on needing real names to get a phone.
You have a government issued ID with a government-issued ID number. Phone companies are required to collect this information and verify it with the government. They also generally require banking information for billing purposes, and make sure that that's consistent with the registered user of the phone as well. Yes, you can try to privately sell a SIM card registered under your name to someone else and manage to get by with prepaid cards. But that's a risky thing to do, because if the phone is used for some illicit purpose, the police will come to you. Even if you can prove you didn't do the crime, intending to get around registration requirements itself may cause trouble. There are some ways around this (e.g. roaming SIM cards), but most people are fully registered and tracked.
As for the Internet, Internet connections are also registered with the government under your name, and your provider is required to keep a record of all your connections, and it's illegal to set up open access points. Of course, it's easier to communicate clandestinely with Internet protocols, including going through foreign proxies, but if you try, that itself is often detectable and suspicious.
Where Germany wins over a place like Saudi Arabia is that they generally use all this tracking and surveillance only against actual crimes, although it's probably only a matter of time until those protections erode and governments will start using it for political purposes. Some of the people responsible for the laws and technology had plenty of experience from fascist and communist regimes.
Speaking as an expat who has been living in China for almost 5 years, this is being SOLD as a reaction to phone scams. It is a general rule that when you deal with real estate agents, art agents and others, do not give them your phone number or you will be bombarded with spam text messages at least 10-15 times a day. On top of this, there is an almost daily report of some crime ring scamming people for money by sending them text messages, or calling them while impersonating someone/some agency they know and trust.
That's how it is sold to the public, who otherwise would make a stink about this kind of thing. Even in this political environment, you have to suger coat the pills a little.
Now when they try to push the same legislation thru here in the USA all it will take is a quick comparison to COMMUNIST CHINA to get the politicians to vehemently oppose it....
"You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
I don't really see the story here.
I guess whatever China does is news?
This has been in effect pretty much all over the world as far as I know.
Under federal law (or more specifically, the law is tacit on the subject that) ANYONE may ask that you provide a social security number - and use it as an identification number for you - except the government. Now, that comes with some caveats. You are not required to give them your SSN, but in that case they are allowed to deny you their services based on your refusal.
Your state laws may have other provisions, but normally the alternative is that you must give them enough personal identification to uniquely identify you and your entire financial history...which is really the only reason not to give out your SSN. With the information they have, just about anyone can get your SSN for $10.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
In most of Africa, you can still buy (and activate and permanently use) a SIM card without showing any ID. Then again, many Africans (especially from former conflict zones) don't have great ID. But I know of few other places where this is possible.
there's built-in anonymity with millions of people with the same name.
Now if only registrars did the same when selling domain names...
I've got better things to do tonight than die.
There is no way a black market in prepaid sims could develop. Follow the money.
The reason we subjugate ourselves to law is to better procure justice. If law does not accomplish this purpose then it m
ok, Commie Pinko China-- you want my real name? Here you go: BITE ME
A couple of months ago they tried this in Mexico. At first everyone was scared because they said they'd disconnect any line that wasn't registered.
At the end they didn't because too many people didn't register (in the order of millions) and about a month after the deadline the government simply desisted on the whole idea, calling it a "bad idea" and claiming that it was badly implemented.
Too bad the Chinese can't count on that happening, though.
Guard number one is a senior on Klahn's mountain, and aspires to be a research chemist. Welcome, please, Hung Well! Guard number two is a real skating buff. A warm welcome for Long Wang! Traveling comes naturally to guard number three, as he's a licensed airplane pilot. Welcome, please, Enormous Genitals!
Bullets are definitely unhealthy.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke
...and the one thing the Chinese government values above all else is its own power. More than economic prosperity, more than public health, more than national prestige - the Chinese government treasures its own continuous reign.
In Canada, you need a name even to buy a prepaid cellphone. It's probably easy to lie however.
Never saw this coming.
Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
In South Africa there's RICA - the Regulation of Interception of Communications Act - that requires cellphone users to register every SIM card with all their details, including proof of ID and residence, before the end of the year (IIRC) or be cut off.
The likelihood of reducing crime versus feeding a booming black market for SIMs is left as an exercise for the reader.
Telstra like asking for all sorts of personal questions when you connect a land line.
Why do they need my date of birth? *sigh*
So, when I connect a land line (yes, with Telstra, it's a long story, go read whirlpool.net.au for details) I say "I don't have a licence" and "I am not allowed to disclose work information" and "I am not allowed to disclose my date of birth".
Say the work one first, they then assume you work for defence or similar, and stop asking stupid questions .. like what is your driver's licence number (I still don't know why they would *need* this to connect a home phone line).
Also, I fail to see why I should disclose to telstra if I am planning on connecting a DSL service on the land line being requested. What business is it of theirs? Meh.
I was able to get 500MB per month mobile internet plan (using GSM EDGE) in China without ever showing a piece of ID or so much as a credit card.. try doing that in most countries.
Too bad it's going to change, China in some ways seemed really libertarian to me but they are coming up with more regulations all the time
how will he get by this?
I bought a SIM card in France and it came with an envelope into which I was to deposit a copy of my identity papers. The instructions claimed that the card would stop working 14 days after activation unless the papers were received.
In democratic Bulgaria such a measure was introdiced months ago. To prevent crime.
That does not sound like a big problem, considering how easy it probably is to get a fake ID in China.
I thought that only employers and certain government agencies were allowed to ask for/use social security numbers?
Officer: "What's your name, citizen?" Citizen: "Superman." Officer: "Very funny, what is your real name?" Citizen: "Superman." Officer: "I'm going to ask one more time, what is your real name?" Citizen: "Okay okay fine. It's Clark Kent."
It has been this way in Turkey for almost 5 years. You have to legally apply with ID and a signed paper every time you want a new mobile number.
Actually, I'm on the fence about this one. As a frequent visitor of many hobby forums, I've noticed the amount of trolling has increased exponentially over the years. It has progressed very badly for some online communities. If all you visit is Slashdot, be thankful of the civility that occurs here.
I don't buy into the doom and gloom of government oppression that goes along with real name registration, nor do I buy into "the net needs anonymity". Seriously, look at 4chan, our glaring symbol of internet anonymity and see what happens when the masses come together under the cloak of anonymity.
However, I do see potential of abuse with using your real name everyone on the net. Therefore, I would like someone else to try it first (on a mass scale) and see if it's an utter failure, before trying to implement it ourselves.
Is this what happens when you "wing" the "wong" number?
The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
what are they going to demand next? Probably a DNA database followed by a genital recognition database (they may need a microscope for that one)
What ? Xu Fei is requesting real names ??? He should be requesting a real name from his parents....
I'm truly going to have to wonder how this will be enforced. I started my China Mobile account for $10 USD and pay little top-ups of like 20-100RMB when I need to. I was shocked when my account was set up by just browsing a list of phone numbers - in a shop that was set up in something resembling a self-storage stall or shipping container. Per Chinese custom, I picked one of the few numbers that did not have a 4 in it. (This is unlucky in many Asian countries.) 55RMB got me a phone line and 5RMB of credit. You do pay more for a non-4 number.
I'm pleased with the service whenever I visit China. It beats the crappy service I get from AT&T, and of course I presume it is bugged. I pay 10RMB/mo for the line and a up to 0.59rmb/min for the calls. (6.8RMB is approx 1USD).
So my question is - next time I buy a top-up (at the trillion or so China Mobile shops ranging from tiny shack to huge mall botique) am I going to get the 5th degree about it? I can also buy a card from a vending machine and enter the scratch-off code into the phone after dialing the service number 13800138000. I'm guessing that's over.