Almost every Pakistani citizen has a cell phone, but from now on, Big Brother is checking to make sure their name, number and fingerprints are on record. The measures are meant to tighten control of cell phones and avert their use for militant attacks after the Taliban massacre two months ago at a school in Peshawar.
Since the new measure was announced earlier this year, Pakistanis have been lining up at cell phone stores and in front of mobile vans and kiosks around the country to scan their fingerprints and verify their identities in order to keep their phones.
They have to show their IDs and fingerprints. If the scanner matches their print with the one in a government database, they can keep their SIM card. If not, their cell phone service is cut off.
In a country where many people get by without electricity, heat or running water, cell phones are one of the few technological advances that are so ubiquitous that most people cannot imagine their lives without one. In the wake of the Peshawar attack, authorities are now checking all users, regardless of when they got their SIM card.
