The Chinese government has started handing out electronic identity cards (eID) to its citizens as part of a pilot project to safeguard citizens' personal information from online leaks, the Xinmin Evening News reported.
According to the report, the Number 3 Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security developed the eID, which also passed the State Cryptography Administration's security check.
Yan Zeming, a spokesperson of the institute, said that the country lacks the infrastructure and services for independent cyber identity verification, and leaks sometimes occur when users provide their personal information such as their name and ID number to confirm their identity as most websites require.
The institute's website said that citizens can use the eID as an identity card in cyberspace, which features a cryptographic algorithm that cannot be hacked and once cracked, the card would only generate random strings.
Authorities said that the eID is a smart chip, could be loaded to SIM cards, bank cards and identity cards. It contains the person's true identity and can be used in public service platforms, online trading platforms, third-party payments and social networks where financial security, property safety and privacy of Internet applications are often involved.
Xinmin Evening News reported that more than 16 million IC bank cards loaded with the chip have already been distributed by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, while other banks such as the Bank of Shanghai and China Minsheng Bank are also planning to issue the cards.
"This is seen as an important government move to improve cyberspace management," Qin An, director of the China Institute of Cyberspace Strategy, said.
Aside from preventing personal information from being leaked, Qin said that the eID could also enhance cyberspace integrity since users who post undesirable information can be traced and penalized.
Tang Lan, a cyber studies expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that the eID would help strengthen information security, especially against websites that steal personal information.