China to Introduce Digital ID Cards Nationwide

(by Ayang MacDonald | Biometric Update) – China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang has said the country will in the course of this year introduce the digital ID based on the national ID card in order to enable citizens easily access important services online, reports SCMP.

Speaking recently during a National People’s Congress event, the premier said this novelty will be particularly important especially for the millions of Chinese citizens who live away from their home province.

Per the report, the digital version of the ID card — which can be used by just a simple scan of a code on one’s mobile phone — was first trialed in 2018 with some banks and internet companies such as Tencent and Alibaba Group where customers used face biometrics to authenticate their IDs for activities such as hotel registration, banking and delivery services, as well as ticketing, writes SCMP.

The digital ID cards are now currently accepted in at least 15 major cities in the country, but smaller cities are said to be still lukewarm to adopt.

SCMP quotes the premier as saying of the digital ID card project: “Some are elderly people living away from their hometown with their children in the other cities, some are there for jobs and education. They have to run back and forth to get things done. So getting things done interprovincially has become a new constant demand for the Chinese people.” Read Full Article >