Beijing police said that residents will be required to have their fingerprints taken when they apply for new identity cards.

A pilot fingerprint program has been in operation since January in police stations in Yanshan and Yizhuang economic development zones.

This will be extended across the city this year, according to Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The fingerprints will be stored in a resident's personal information database that can only be accessed by police, the bureau said.

Personal data will be recorded in a chip on the new identity cards, the bureau said. The entire process will be under the strictest supervision

In addition, the police said the information stored in the ID cards is not an actual image of a fingerprint. Instead, it will be converted into digital information to ensure complete privacy.