Eric, it seems unlikely that domestic providers can churn out these billion cards, given the Unicom contracts with Schlumberger and Gemplus. On the other hand, "asian competitors" are cited as a problem for Gemplus managements' low cost plans.
Any ideas about the global need for id's? Do you see evidence of overriding privacy concerns in this country or Europe?
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Ebusiness security
Wed 13 August 2003 05:03PM BST
One billion Chinese citizens to get smartcards by 2004
The biggest ID card scheme in the world…ever!
The Chinese government has approved a plan to introduce ID cards for over a billion of the country's citizens – upgrading existing plastic identity cards to a new chip-based smartcard system.
The scheme has received the green light from the Chinese authorities, and the roll-out will start its initial testing phase in early 2004.
The government is citing security concerns as the prime motivation for the roll-out – previous plastic ID cards were thought too easy to fake - and expects the card to carry a limited amount of information about its user including name, date of birth and the citizen's ID number.
The companies that are landing a slice of the smartcard pie are chiefly domestic operators, with just two foreign companies involved on the technology side, according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires. However, some suppliers are yet to be announced.
While the Chinese ID project will be the biggest ever undertaken, it won't be a licence to print money for those involved, with the government angling for a low-memory, very low-cost card.
While the government claims that the reasons behind the update are purely administrative, privacy campaigners are somewhat sceptical, particularly given that card-carriers won't be allowed to see or alter the details that appear on their ID.
Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, told silicon.com: "The cards will act as a reminder to Chinese citizens they are being constantly monitored. It will make it more inevitable that they will have to report their movements – or have their movements reported for them."
Davies believes that the effect of the scheme will extend beyond China's borders: "The sheer scale of the project could lead to the harmonisation of ID card systems across south east Asia. The Chinese system could become the default: it would be a juggernaut effect."
Jo Best
silicon.com
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China reveals massive smart ID card plan
Staff, CNETAsia
CNETAsia
August 13, 2003, 16:05 BST
Tell us your opinion
China's 960 million citizens will be issued with digital smart ID cards, starting from next year
China will replace paper national identification (ID) cards with electronic identity cards starting in 2004, according to wire agency Dow Jones.
The new digital ID card, which uses smart ID technology, will be carried by 960 million Chinese citizens. The embedded microchip in the plastic card stores an individual's personal information, which can be read and checked against databases kept by China's security authorities.
This massive transformation has proceeded largely under a veil of secrecy, with little public debate. China's government-run media has also remained silent on the issue, said the report.
Chinese officials say the new smart ID cards will stamp out counterfeit paper IDs, which are used in white-collar crime.
According to a Chinese industry executive, trial runs for the smart ID card will begin in 2004, and most Chinese citizens can expect to receive the new cards by 2005. As many as 800 million of the cards could be in use by 2006, according to the Dow Jones report.
Malaysia launched a smart ID card, MyKad, in April 2001. MyKad is government-issued all-in-one smartcard that performs a wide range of functions such as data processing, storage and file management. It stores citizen data, such as identity card numbers, passport information, driving licences and health information, in a single embedded 64K microchip. The card also promises secure access to applications such as automated teller machines (ATM) and government-related online services.
Elsewhere, countries such as the US, UK, and the Philippines are reportedly mulling the adoption of a national ID system in the wake of terrorism threats after the 11 September, 2001, attacks. Thailand will launch its smart national ID card later this year.
However, such plans have been met with fierce resistance from pro-privacy bodies, which believe identity cards infringe human rights and individual privacy.
"In recent years, attempts to create national ID cards in the US, Korea and Taiwan have all failed because of public opposition," the group said on its Web site.
news.zdnet.co.uk.
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