Govt Wants Real Name Registration for SIM Cards

The government wants to know who is using SIM cards

In a bid to supposedly cut down on crime in the city, the government is proposing every SIM card is registered under a real name along with other personal details.

The proposal was made yesterday to kick off a one-month public consultation, where users of prepaid SIM cards need to provide their full name, a copy of their ID and date of birth.

Many people buy prepaid SIM cards when visiting Hong Kong for a few days, or people with no fixed address prefer to use them, or even those who would rather pay as they use the phone than be obligated to sign a contract for a package with a telecom company.

Pre-paid SIM cards are cheaper than contracts

However, the government seems to think the anonymous pay-as-you-go SIM cards allow criminals to evade detection when committing offenses such as phone scams. The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau added the cards were used in serious and violent crimes that affected public security.

Sounds very dramatic.

Nevertheless this proposal is yet another step in mainlandizing Hong Kong. Back in 2017 when my parents and I traveled the Silk Road tour, our fellow travelers and I tried to buy SIM cards in Lanzhou and were immediately denied because we did not have Chinese ID cards. It was virtually impossible for us to get them so we had to rely on wifi in our hotels.

Maybe the government is uneasy about the numbers, as there are currently 11.7 million prepaid SIM cards being used in Hong Kong, though 9.2 million are connected to service plans. That means the total number of mobile subscriptions is 20.9 million, or almost three SIM cards per person.

Apparently many domestic helpers buy stacks of these pre-paid cards as they are on a budget, while travelers (when we had them) would buy them to use in Hong Kong.

Yau says phone scams use prepaid SIM cards

To add ammunition to getting all SIM card users registered, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said 90 percent of con artists used prepaid cards for deceptions, while 70 percent of offenders involved in serious crimes such as murder, robbery, burglary and drugs also relied on the cards.

"If we can eliminate these difficulties in detecting crime, actually the new measures do not affect law-abiding citizens but better protect their safety," he said, adding 155 countries had adopted similar regulations.

Does what he said sound familiar when the national security law came out, that it would only affect a small number of people?

However, what is amusing is that the consultation paper suggests each person can have a maximum of three SIM cards per telecom company, and with about 30 in the city, that means someone could have up to 90 SIM cards registered under their name...

Domestic helpers buy stacks of pre-paid cards

While it is understandable the authorities want to crack down on phone scams, with 615 reported in 2018 to 1,108 from January to November in 2020, victims have lost more than HK$563 million.

"The card has become a tool of the criminal," said security undersecretary Sonny Au Chi-kwong. "After committing crimes, they can keep getting a new one to avoid our detection. Without the culprits' identity, investigations became more difficult."

Will find out what happens after the one-month consultation is over, but it's pretty much expected this new regulation will be implemented...