ID card technical flaw denied by experts

Experts reached by the Global Times denied that there is a technical flaw with as many as 1.2 billion Chinese ID cards, saying that institutions requiring identity verification need to be more careful.

The response, which comes after similar comments by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), was made amid huge public concerns over the widely-reported technical loophole that lost ID cards cannot be nullified. The media reported that this may lead to possible crimes committed by non-owner holders of the card and cause losses to the real owner.

ID flaw prompts crime fears

"An ID card is different from a SIM card or a credit card, which support nullity based on their huge networks," Ge Yuanqing, a research fellow with the Institute of Microelectronics at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times. He added that it would bring severe security risks should the ID card be connected to such a network, as the personal information could be modified by many parties.

The current version of the ID card was put into use from January 2004. This version has an implanted chip to increase its reliability, according to a Thursday report by the Beijing News.

"The main purpose of the ID card is to guarantee that the information on the card is unchangeable and reliable, and the second version has proved successful so far, with no forgeries having yet been found," Ge noted.

"Whether or not the holder is the actual owner does not fall into the jurisdiction of design. Identity verification is the obligation of those institutions with such a requirement," Ge added.

However, the loophole lies in using the cards at institutions including banks and telecommunication service providers. "Even though bank employees are demanded to check the client's appearance with their ID card, many don't follow the rule to save time, so someone is likely to make use of the loophole and own a card with the identity of someone else. This could lead to possible scams," a former employee of the China Merchants Bank told the Global Times.

The risk is more serious should a person own over 10 credit cards and pay off the lines of credit with one another. This might cause great losses to both the bank and the real ID card owner, said the employee.

The MPS will step up efforts in cracking down on crimes using lost or stolen IDs. It will also continue to record fingerprints on IDs, a move aimed to make identity theft more difficult, the Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.

"Recording the fingerprint will prove useless unless those institutions that require identity checks pay more attention to whether the client is the card holder," Ge said.