Prior to being opened to the public, the system was used by government departments, financial institutions and telecom companies, he said.

Between 2006 and the end of last year, such organizations made more than 40 million inquiries, 1.6 million of which identified would-be fraudsters, according to the center.

Opinion is divided, however, on whether such information should be available to the public.

Beijing resident Li Nuoyan told China Daily: "For just 5 yuan anyone can access anyone else's picture. That's potentially risky."

In contrast, Wang Zongyu, a law professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said that while it might be better if the website did not show pictures, "it still can't be considered as a privacy violation, as ID cards carry photos anyway."

Others have simply questioned why they have to pay a fee to access the information.

The customer service worker said the 5 yuan charge had been set by Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission.

"Maintaining a database of 1.3 billion people costs money," she said.

(China Daily November 11, 2008)