China reveals massive smart ID card plan

China's 960 million citizens will be issued with digital smart ID cards, starting from next year

China will replace paper national identification (ID) cards with electronic identity cards starting in 2004, according to wire agency Dow Jones.

The new digital ID card, which uses smart ID technology, will be carried by 960 million Chinese citizens. The embedded microchip in the plastic card stores an individual's personal information, which can be read and checked against databases kept by China's security authorities.

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