China to require IDs for all cell phone users
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Mobile phone users in China are now being asked to provide identification when they set up a new account, and those with existing accounts will eventually need to provide ID, according to reports.
The new rules, which took effect on Wednesday, apply to everyone buying a phone or SIM (subscriber identity module) card, including foreigners and short-term visitors. The requirement was adopted to curb rampant spam, porn, and telecom fraud, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said, according to a post on Xinhuanet, the web site of the official Chinese government news agency.
The move also will give the Chinese government, already criticised by human rights groups for quashing free speech, an even greater ability to monitor the country's citizens and their communications. There are about 800 million mobile subscriber accounts in China, according to the government telecom agency.
For more of this story, read China requires cell phone subscriber IDs on CNET News.
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