In Germany, before I can send an anonymous message on HN, I have to send a picture of my passport to some government agency and have a video call with them, so that my phone is allowed to attach to the internet.
Never heard anything like that from many people I know in Germany.
I feel like there is a huge chunk of context missing here.
I'm referring to sim cards bought in a supermarket. Prepaid, no contract. The activation process, regardless of the brand (I've tried many!) involves those video calls.
I think Ireland still doesn't require registration either.