EZ WAY: Overseas Parcel Courier Recipient Real-Name Verification Has No Web Version

The EZ WAY parcel real-name verification system, originally scheduled by the Customs Administration to launch on April 16, was postponed to officially launch on May 16 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. By then, those who have not completed real-name verification will be unable to clear their parcels smoothly, and it may even affect the customs clearance speed of goods in the same warehouse. Therefore, anyone who needs to shop overseas should remember to download and declare early.

That said, according to the explanation of the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of China, the main reason the government designed this EZ WAY app is that paper-based customs declaration has a problem of personal data leakage, so it was changed to have the public apply for customs declaration data online themselves.

As for whether it is truly to protect the public’s personal data, or truly based on roll-call management and collecting money, everyone can just keep it tacit. Apart from honestly revealing your own shopping data to the government, I really cannot see where the personal data protection effect is achieved (perhaps my eyesight is poor). Not only is there more data to fill in, but the consolidation shipper part also cannot be replaced by a designated code (like at blood donation centers).

In fact, going through the whole process creates more of a deterrent effect for those who do not often shop overseas.

In addition, this time the government forces the public to apply for verification only through a smartphone app, which is an annoying problem. For example, my personal need for a phone has been very low in recent years. The small memory of the iPhone SE is obvious to all, and it is basically at the critical point of exploding, yet now the government forces me to download a brand-new app to apply.

Not to mention that besides the two major commercial systems Apple iOS and Google Android, there are also Microsoft Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS, which are also the first choice of many businesspeople, as well as the more niche Nokia Asha Platform and Sailfish OS (formed by the former Nokia team), self-owned systems of mainland Chinese enterprises, and independent systems dedicated to phones for the elderly. These are all mobile operating systems still in online use with real users — do all these users have to buy a brand-new phone to shop happily?

In the past, if you did not have a computer on hand, at least you could go to a library or internet cafe to borrow a computer to work. Now you cannot possibly borrow someone’s phone to install an app and perform real-name verification, right!?

Actually, the simplest approach would have been that the government should not presuppose a stance favoring any commercial company’s operating system, but start development from the most basic web-based application interface, and then continue with whichever mobile system it wants to extend to later. That would be a more complete and orderly system design solution.

EZ Way App Download

1. Android real-name verification APP download URL and QR Code
2. Apple iPhone real-name verification APP download URL and QR Code