GCHQ mobile phone passport ID plan

The Government intends to demand ID from anyone wanting to buy a mobile phone in order to close a loophole in GCHQ’s plans for a crime-busting mobile phone register, the Sunday Times reported today.

The “eavesdropping centre” in Cheltenham came under fire recently when it was revealed that they wanted to compile a register of all 72 million mobile phone owners in the country.

But sources inside the government are saying that Britain’s estimated 40million pay-as-you-go phones pose a loophole which must be filled.

Pay as you go phones are often associated with criminals who buy them with cash, favoring the anonymity the non-registered phones give them.

However, the more flexible pay as you go method is also championed by many law-abiding people, who don’t like the hassle of registering and paying by direct debit.

To get around the obvious flaw in plans for the database, the government is considering making it compulsory to demand photo identification such as a passport or driving licence when anyone buys a pre-paid mobile phone.

It is believed that the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will announce the move next year.