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Idea to register Hong Kong SIM cards with real names targets September rollout

蘋果日報 2021/06/02 06:15


Hong Kong is moving toward making consumers register with their real names when buying a mobile SIM card, a proposal that the government says is to tackle crimes committed using anonymous cards.
The suggested measure sparked public concern over greater surveillance by the authorities when it was first floated in January. It will be gazetted on Friday and debated by the Legislative Council on June 9.
With almost no opposition in the lawmaking body, the measure is expected to be passed and to take effect from Sept. 1 this year.
The proposed “Real-name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identity Module Cards” would require the buyer of a SIM card to provide personal information such as the name, date of birth and Hong Kong identity card number along with a copy of the document. Each person may register up to 10 SIM cards, and each company a maximum of 25 cards, per telecommunications service provider.
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The government further suggests launching the measure, if passed, on March 1 next year. New SIM cards will be activated only after the registrant has supplied the necessary details, while all existing cards should be registered by Feb. 23, 2023. Unregistered cards will become invalid after the 2023 deadline.
The regulation is applicable to only SIM cards issued by Hong Kong telecoms operators. Director General of Communications Chaucer Leung said on Tuesday that consumers could submit their personal details through the government’s iAM Smart platform or directly with the operators. In general, Leung said, an operator would not be penalized for mistakes in the registered information if it could prove the verification process was strictly conducted.
Members of the public submitted 105,000 letters of feedback to the government during two months of consultation, with 26% opposing the idea, said Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau. He said the terms to be tabled to lawmakers had been adjusted based on public feedback, such as increasing the number of SIM cards an individual could hold from three to 10, and extending the transition period for registration.
Yau said the measure was introduced to fight offenses such as scam calls and serious organized crime that often used anonymous cards. He added that such a regulation was common in other countries.
Law enforcement agencies would be allowed to request the cardholder’s information from telecom operators “in certain urgent or emergency situations.” Any crime that called for a fine of at least HK$1 million (US$128,800) or a minimum of three years in jail would fall into the category of emergencies, the government told LegCo.
Yau reiterated that the proposed arrangement was in line with the Crimes Ordinance and Immigration Ordinance. If national security was involved, he said, law enforcement agencies could exercise their right to obtain the registration details without a warrant.
Media workers and other professions that handled confidential information would not be exempted from the system, as Yau said the registration would not capture one’s occupation or purpose of SIM card ownership.
The commerce secretary did not confirm whether the government would use facial recognition technology, saying only that the proposed regulation was to fill loopholes created by anonymous prepaid cards. He also declined to say if other personal details, such as addresses, would be required in future.
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