Con artists and swindlers in China who try to use fake ID will
have a tougher time trying to pass themselves off as someone else
now that the public has access to the Ministry of Public Security's
population database.
Anyone can now send a text message or visit the country's
population information center's website, to check if the name and
the ID number of a person's identity card match. If they do match
the ID cardholder's picture also appears, said the Ministry, adding
that no other information is available to ensure a citizen's
privacy is protected.
Completed at the end of 2006, China's population information
database, the world's largest, contains personal information on 1.3
billion citizens.
Giving public accessing to the database is also designed to
correct mistakes if an individual discovers that their name, number
and picture don't match.
Millions of dollars are lost each year by people who use false
identities. According to the Ministry of Public Security, about 90
percent of people who commit crimes hold fake ID cards.
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2007)