Guangdong residents trying out e-ID card

Residents of Guangdong province are taking the lead in a pilot project to link their identity cards to a mobile social media app through facial recognition. The program will be rolled out nationwide early next year.

Since the first e-ID card was issued on Monday, nearly 110,000 residents in Guangdong have applied for it, said Yan Dong, an official at the Public Security Bureau of Nansha district in Guangzhou, the provincial capital.

Under the program, citizens can identify themselves through the country's most widespread messaging app, WeChat. People will be able to leave their identity cards at home and use their e-ID card.