Hong Kong proposes mandatory registration of mobile phone numbers to tackle organised crime

All Hong Kong mobile phone users will have to provide their real name and personal details under proposals for compulsory SIM-card registration in the city, with officials blaming criminals for exploiting the current system.

Mandatory registration could be extended to users of prepaid SIM cards, requiring them to provide their full name, a copy of their identity document and date of birth, the government suggested on Friday as it launched a one-month public consultation on the proposals.

Under the planned reforms, law enforcement agencies such as police, immigration, and anti-corruption authorities would have the power to obtain registration records without a court warrant in urgent or emergency situations, but an approval from an officer with the rank of superintendent or above would be needed.

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a consultation document that the measures aimed to better regulate SIM services, and anonymous pay-as-you-go cards allowed criminals to evade detection when committing offences such as phone scams. The cards were also a common tool in serious and violent crimes that threatened public safety, it added.

Currently, 11.7 million prepaid SIM cards are circulating in Hong Kong while 9.2 million service plans have been taken out, making a total of 20.9 million mobile subscriptions. That works out at almost three SIM cards per person on average for the 7.5 million population.

Only those on SIM service plans – or contracts – are currently required to register their real information, with users of prepaid cards not covered.