Hong Kong tightens leash on mobile cellphone use, registration
The Hong Kong federal government has kicked off public consultation on the in the vicinity of-specific policy modify, which would demand inhabitants of the town to sign up their cell mobile phone SIM playing cards using their genuine id, elevating more worries in excess of privacy and fears of wider point out surveillance.
© The new telecommunications evaluate comes on the heels of China’s conclusion to impose a new stability l…
The new telecommunications measure comes on the heels of China’s decision to impose a new security law on the semi-autonomous metropolis very last calendar year [Anthony Wallace/AFP]
Secretary for Commerce and Financial Development Edward Yau unveiled on Friday the proposal, which includes requiring individuals to present their real names, day of delivery as perfectly as ID amount for verification.

The new evaluate will come on the heels of China’s determination to impose the new nationwide stability law on the semi-autonomous metropolis previous year.
There are an believed 21 million SIM card people in Hong Kong. Presently, additional than 50 percent of them are utilizing spend-to-go cards that do not need personalized info – thus safeguarding their privacy.
But that has develop into a source of discomfort for Hong Kong’s stability forces, as enormous pro-democracy protests erupted in the city between 2018 and 2019. Many of the protests have been organised utilizing smartphone interaction and as a result of social media.
Below the new proposal, enterprises are also demanded to offer firm information to sign-up, even though specific customers are allowed to have only 3 fork out-to-go playing cards from a person telecom service provider.
Minors down below the age of 16 are not authorized to sign-up unless of course approval from an adult is offered.
Rigid penalty
Men and women who are caught furnishing bogus facts could deal with prolonged prison time of up to 14 yrs, in accordance to the proposal.
Meanwhile, mobile phone providers are expected to archive facts of people and keep consumer details for at minimum 12 months following registration is cancelled.
The providers are also obliged to lower off support to those people who failed to submit info immediately after a sure period of time, and to submit to authorities information and facts for the objective of law enforcement.
SIM cards issued by overseas telecom expert services vendors will not be reportedly afflicted by the proposal.
Sonny Au, Hong Kong Authority’s under-secretary of safety, spelled out that the proposed authentic-title registration is meant to curb criminality, telephone harassment, prostitution and even on-line extortion.
But activists and rights group say it is a different way for authorities to prohibit people’s freedoms.
“The means for people to be effortlessly reachable and link to the web is vital for a prosperous electronic financial system,” Hong Kong-based mostly IT stability specialist Leo Weese advised the Hong Kong Absolutely free Push.
“Placing arbitrary limits on who can and can’t talk with the entire world contravenes the drive to develop and grow Hong Kong’s overall economy.”
The community consultation is scheduled to be held for the upcoming thirty day period until finally February 28, and implementation is expected to be accomplished in a year’s time.
The progress arrives amid the South China Early morning Write-up report that Beijing is imposing a tighter grip on the Asian economical hub.
China has signalled a a lot more hands-on approach to Hong Kong affairs early last year when it changed the heads of the Liaison Place of work in the metropolis.
The semi-autonomous territory was transferred to China from the United Kingdom in 1997 underneath the “one place, two systems” principle.
