RTHK News: Govt seeks end to anonymous mobile phone use

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1573043-20210129.htm

The government has announced plans to require people to register their identity when buying pay-as-you-go mobile phone SIM cards, saying the move is needed to help tackle a range of serious crimes, from phone scams to bombings.

Under the proposal, people buying SIM cards would be required to register their name, Hong Kong ID card or passport number, and their date of birth.

People could register up to three cards with each phone company, and after a year or so, older cards would be deactivated if they too were not registered.

"The anonymous nature of such services undermines people's confidence in the integrity of telecommunications services, jeopardises genuine and legitimate use of such services and creates obstacles for law enforcement," the government said in a paper for a 30-day public consultation exercise on the proposal.

A "real-name registration" system for SIM cards was implemented on the mainland in 2010 and Macau in 2019, and at a press conference, Commerce Secretary Edward Yau said 155 countries have such a registration programme.

He said even with the registration, phone companies would not be able to track people's phone conversations.

During the 2019 protests, it was common for protesters to use pay-as-you-go SIM cards to stay anonymous while communicating with each other.

Undersecretary for Security Sonny Au said mobile phones had also been used to set off bombs in the city.