A staff member of a courier company in Beijing receives package without asking their clients to show their ID. (Photo/Beijing News)
(ECNS)-- A new national standard for China's express delivery industry that mandates real-name registration officially took effect on June 1, but has been met with lukewarm reaction from both couriers and online shoppers, Beijing News reported.
As early as November 2015, the real-name registration rule had already been officially enacted. The requirement was reiterated in a norm for the country's courier industry issued by the State Post Bureau in February.
Many express delivery companies did not require users to show their ID unless they wanted to have drugs, alcohol or other controlled items delivered, the paper said. Among nine Beijing-based outlets of express delivery companies the paper investigated, only two required users to show ID, it said.
On the other hand, a courier named Zhang Qiang (pseudonym) said some users declined to show their ID, citing privacy concerns or simply saying they did not bring it. "We usually don't insist on it," he said, adding that if they did, users might opt for a rival company's service.
Xu Yong, an expert in the express delivery industry, said implementation of the real-name registration rule would meet challenges because there was a legal gap to be filled in this regard, and users were still worried about privacy issues.
On the other hand, express delivery companies had no way to force users to show their ID and could lose market share if they stuck to the regulation, Xu explained.
Previously, the State Post Bureau said it would work to improve user information security management.
Shao Zhonglin, another senior expert in the courier industry, said matching measures, personnel adjustment and related training are needed for the success of the real-name registration move. "Implementation of the policy needs a transition period," said Shao.
