Beijing Calling...Or Not

As of today, September 1, you need an ID to get a mobile phone in China.

China began requiring identification on Wednesday from anyone purchasing a new mobile phone number in what it says is a bid to stamp out rampant junk messages but that some say gives the government a new tool for monitoring its citizens.

The rules apply to everyone, including foreigners visiting China for a short stay, the China Daily newspaper reported.

The paper said the regulation was "the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones."

But some say China is looking for a way to track people who might spontaneously join protests. Users could previously buy low-cost mobile phone SIM cards anonymously with cash at convenience stores and newspaper stands and use them right away.

"I think the government has an eye on Iran where protests were fueled by text messages and Twitter and they are doing this for social stability reasons," said Wang Songlian, research coordinator with the Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

That's part of the issue of course, but the real problem is China's not the only government cracking down on digital anonymity.  Mobile phones, texting, twitter, the Internet, all of it allows people to communicate on the go and on the fly, and without having to sign your John Hancock to it.

Governments don't like this, including our own here in the states.  Of course, we'd use the excuse "We're cracking down on terrorist communication tools" if legislation like that passed here, which I'm thinking it soon will.