More than $240 million has been spent on the government's e-Cert system, providing a type of virtual identity card - but it is failing to attract many users.
The e-Cert electronic certificate is embedded in the new smart ID cards and is also available in conjunction with a CD-Rom, allowing it to be used online.
But Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology John Tsang Chun-wah admitted in the Legislative Council yesterday that he himself found it complicated to use the e-Cert for online transactions. He vowed that the technology would be improved, saying the system would be a 'necessity' in the future.
'It could be that citizens are not used to conducting online transactions, much like when automatic-teller machines first came into use,' he said in response to a question from Tsang Yok-sing.
'But after people got used to the machines they found them to be a necessity. It should be the same with the e-Cert. That is why the government feels there is a need to put resources into developing it in the long run.'
By the end of last month, the Hong Kong Post Certification Authority had issued about 880,000 personal e-Certs embedded in ID cards. However, only about 10 per cent of e-Cert holders actually used the certificates, according to a November survey.