Chinese authorities said in a forum in Shanghai that they would promote the internet identity system “Electric Identity” (eID) to protect personal identity information, Chinese news website The Paper reported on Sunday.
The eID system was created in 2011 but is not yet widely used.
“A decade ago, we were only troubled by crank calls. Nowadays, even your personal information and network activities are leaked,” said Yan Zeming, a division director at The Third Research Institute of The Ministry of Public Security of China, in 2016 China Cyberspace Security (Shanghai) Forum.
According to Yan, internet companies have been collecting users’ identity information on a massive scale; often, this data is stolen by lawbreakers for profit-making purposes. Knowledge of this kind of personal information allows fraudsters to find more personalized, more targeted ways of cheating their victims.
Then, how can internet users verify their identity online without fearing the leaking of personal information? eID is designed as a solution to this problem.
eID is a chip which can be imbedded in bank cards, social security cards and even wristbands. Whenever users need to verify their identity online, they can use those cards or wristbands that contain their information, instead of uploading their name, address, phone or ID number themselves.
Traditional ID cards have been replaced by forms of electronic ID in many countries of the European Union, including Germany, Spain and Italy. In China, however, eID is only for online ID recognition.
Chinese authorities have issued regulations requiring users’ real-name registration for online payment systems, parcel delivery, phone cards, and apps, in order to combat online crimes. eID might be an alternative option.
(Top photo from pixabay.com)
