China Bans Anonymous Cellphone Purchases

In a move that follows that of many like-minded European and Asian countries, China has introduced regulations that require an ID to purchase a cellphone. What's causing concern in this case—at least more so than some others—is China's history of censorship. Human rights advocates, for instance, are concerned that the government might use the information gleaned to monitor protesters, dissidents, or other persons of interest. From the government's point of view, it's also a chance to crack down on spam, a problem that reaches unique proportions in a country with 800 million active cellphone numbers. [SF Gate via BoingBoing]