ID required for mobile phone users starting Wednesday

• Source: Global Times
• [02:34 September 01 2010]
• Comments

Customers are complaining about information security as some of them have experienced message and phone call harassment.

"I have received several phone calls from insurance and property companies who identified my name, age and working unit on the phone," Zhang Rui, a registered mobile phone user, told the Global Times.

Information safety concerns exist in every industry that requires people to provide personal data, said Chen, adding that the concern is quite reasonable, given the disorder in the industry.

Liu Yong, a columnist with Business Review IT, told the Global Times that the new system will increase administrative costs and bring inconveniences for people who only need a new mobile number for temporary use, such as those who go on short business trips or vacations in other cities.

"People could pick up a mobile phone number at newsstands. But now they have to queue in outlets to do so, and this could take hours," Liu said.

Meanwhile, concerns over whether the real-name registration will resolve the root cause of mobile phone misuse is mounting since criminals can fake IDs to get a number.

In response, Chen with MIIT, admitted that the registration policy will not be able to completely curb the overflowing misuse of mobile phones.

"You can never count on only one policy to tackle a problem that is deep-rooted in society, but I believe after implementing the real-name registration, the illegal use of mobile phones will de-crease to a great extent," Chen said.

Liu Chang and Fang Yunyu contributed to this story