Hong Kong plans law to tie mobile phone numbers to user’s identity

The government Tuesday unveiled plans to require people in Hong Kong to provide their real name and other personal details when registering mobile phone numbers, a move that critics said would further curtail people’s freedoms and stoke fears of surveillance.

Officials said the change was necessary to aid investigations by law-enforcement agencies and would help tackle thefts by phone scammers preying on city residents, as well as drug trafficking and other organized crimes. It puts Hong Kong in line with about 155 countries including France, Germany and South Korea that have similar measures, officials have said.