No more anonymous phone purchases? FCC eyes stricter ID rules in the US

Buying a phone along with a carrier subscription without sharing details such as your home address or an alternate contact number may soon become impossible in the US. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering new rules that would require wireless carriers and VoIP providers to collect a customer's name, physical address, government-issued ID number, and an alternate phone number before activating or renewing phone service.

The proposal has sparked widespread debate over what would happen once every American's identity is linked to a phone number. Critics argue that the rules would create a centralised, government-mandated record of users, potentially exposing sensitive information belonging to domestic violence survivors, journalists, whistleblowers, and others who prefer to keep their identities separate from their phone numbers.

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The proposal, FCC 26-27, was adopted on April 30 under the FCC's long-running robocall docket and has been described as a "Know Your Customer" (KYC) standard, modelled on the identity verification requirements used by banks.

According to the FCC's filing, the additional data collection would aid investigations into fraud, espionage, and foreign influence operations that threaten national security. However, critics argue that the proposal goes far beyond tackling spam calls and instead creates a broad identity verification regime for obtaining phone service.

Critics also warn that the proposal could leave millions of Americans without access to phone services. Citing a joint filing by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the ACLU, reports note that around 15 million US adults do not have a driver's license, while 2.6 million lack any government-issued photo ID, making it difficult for them to meet the proposed verification requirements.

Privacy advocates have also raised concerns over the FCC's requirement for a physical address, which would exclude P.O. boxes and mail-forwarding services. These options are widely used by unhoused individuals and survivors of domestic violence to protect their identities and locations. Critics say the proposal conflicts with the FCC's own Safe Connections Act, which was designed to help domestic violence survivors obtain phone service without creating a traceable paper trail.

The proposal has also sparked cybersecurity concerns, with opponents warning that requiring telecom providers to store government-issued IDs and home addresses would create an attractive target for hackers. They point to recent breaches at major telecom companies, including AT&T and Comcast's Xfinity, as evidence of the industry's uneven record on safeguarding customer data.

Privacy groups further argue that the measures are unlikely to curb spam calls, noting that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has previously found that most illegal robocalls originate overseas, limiting the effectiveness of stricter domestic identity checks.

Indian rules for getting prepaid SIMs

In India, the issuance of prepaid SIM connections and customer verification is governed by the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The legislation mandates that telecom providers verify the identity of individuals through verifiable biometric-based identification before providing services. The law also includes provisions for strict compliance and penalties aimed at preventing fraud and ensuring secure subscriber verification.