Beijing court shames defaulters through app

171 individuals in Beijing's Chaoyang District who have refused to repay their debts have seen their mobile numbers being labeled with "defaulter" by a widely-used mobile security app, thepaper.cn reports.

171 defaulters in Beijing see their mobile numbers being labeled by an App called 360 Mobile Security. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

This is the first time a legal department has teamed up with a SciTech company to expose defaulters publically.

360 Mobile Security is an antivirus service provided by Qihoo 360, and is widely used among Chinese mobile phone users. It's used to provide alerts for possible fraud or crank calls to users.

As mobile phone numbers in China now require real-name registration, changing the phone number will not free a defaulter from the public exposure.

"The label of defaulter will only be removed after defaulters fulfill their responsibilities," said Zhang Weiping, an official with the Chaoyang District Court in Beijing.

Cartoon depicting a new 'ringtone shaming' campaign in Guanyun County, east China's Jiangsu Province. [Photo: jfinfo.com]

A court in east China's Jiangsu Province adopted customized ringtones to shame people into paying their court-ordered debts. People who call the mobile phone number of those on the list are forced to listen to a pre-ring prompt produced by a local court in Guanyun County.

Defaulters in China are also being included on a national-wide defaulter list. Many of them are also banned from taking airline flights or trains. Others may also face being restricted from taking senior posts in certain companies.