An online survey conducted by China Youth Daily and Sohu.com between December 13 and 19 found that 44.9 percent of 1,911 responses approved of having to use ID to set up mobile phone accounts and 42.1 percent opposed it.

China's 300 million mobile phone users have been increasingly beleaguered by illegal spam text messages in recent years, Xinhua News Agency reported today, and earlier this month the Ministry of Public Security , the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) and China Banking Regulatory Commission launched a campaign against them.

The MII is drafting a regulation requiring mobile phone users to present ID when setting up accounts in an effort to root out illegal senders of spam.

Illegal messages usually fall into three categories, according to Xinhua: deceptive messages such as lottery winning to entrap money, porn messages, and rumors and information about terrorism.

7.2 percent of those who chose to take part in the online survey said they expected "real-name subscription to block illegal text messages, even at the price of privacy and free communication."

About 27.7 percent said they preferred privacy and 32.3 percent thought "there should be better solutions to filter junk message instead of real-name subscription."

Other concerns included whether the use of ID could ensure authenticity and how service providers could protect subscribers' information safety.

Japan, South Korea and Singapore have already adopted real-name mobile phone subscriptions.

Trial operations of the measure in east China's Shanghai and Quanzhou City in Fujian Province have reported financial losses.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2005)