IDs to be mandatory for SIM cards

[rickfarang]

Will there be a requirement to register SIM cards as travelers enter the country?

 

If one's telephone with a registered SIM card is stolen or lost, it seems that a liability is created. Not that many cell phones are stolen or lost...

 

It is not clear how these rules will solve any problems.

 

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IDs to be mandatory for SIM cards

 

The government will make it mandatory for people to produce either national ID cards or passports when buying SIM cards for prepaid mobile phones in its latest effort to nail separatist bombers in the South.

 

In addition, all existing 21.5 million prepaid Thai and foreign mobile phone system users in Thailand will have to report their citizenship identification or passport numbers to their respective phone operators within six months.

 

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the Information Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) had consulted with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on tightening regulations on SIM cards in prepaid mobile phones that were often used by insurgents to remotely detonate bombs.

 

The measures were agreed on at a meeting yesterday hosted by the ICT. Joining the session were national security agencies, the Royal Thai Police Office, the NTC, TOT Corporation, CAT Telecom, Thai Mobile, the Telecommunications Association of Thailand, True Corporation and all private mobile phone operators.

 

Previously, prepaid phone users were not asked for their ID when they wanted SIM cards. They simply visited the nearest convenience store to buy one, no questions asked. Easy availability has seen SIM cards fall into the wrong hands. Separatist militants have bought SIM cards for phones used to set off bombs.

 

The government warned that phone services would be cancelled if users failed to meet the SIM card registration deadline.

 

The government decided on the ID measures so authorities could easily trace SIM card users. Current users will need to contact their network operators to provide ID information.

 

Mr Thaksin cautioned, however, that traceability must not undermine SIM card sales and customer privacy.

 

``For example, customers only have to produce the 13-digit serial number on their cards and nothing else. The data will be called up by computer to let the authorities know who bought the SIM card,'' he said.

 

Mr Thaksin said the government needed to locate bombers swiftly. He made it clear the regulation would serve only security purposes.

 

Kanawat Wasingsungworn, assistant to the ICT minister, said the SIM card database was designed to counter terrorism in the South. The government would seek cooperation from mobile phone service providers to institute the mandatory registration. Companies might consider airtime giveaways as an incentive.

 

Mr Kanawat said checking foreign-origin SIM cards brought into the country would not be difficult as roaming numbers could track masterminds in the event of separatist attacks.

 

TOT and CAT engineers would assist in background checks.

 

CAT Telecom said operators would like a law enacted to allow the deactivation of customers' mobile phones without infringing upon consumer rights.

 

The prime minister said the controls would apply nationwide rather than in specific locations to prevent potential saboteurs from buying cards elsewhere to launch attacks in separatist hotspots.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Wannasathit said the regulation would be proposed in writing for Mr Thaksin to look at before it went into effect.

 

In practice, he said, SIM card buyers would most likely have to produce at least a photocopy of their national ID card for proper registration.

 

Submission of citizenship information would complement measures already in place to cut off phone signals at bomb sites to prevent secondary blasts.

 

Pol Gen Chidchai said the regulation would be one of many being drawn up to end the cycle of violence in the deep South. ``There will also be technical measures. This is only one piece of the puzzle,'' he said.

 

DTAC chief executive Vichai Bencha-rongkul said registration may inconvenience subscribers but his company was ready to cooperate. There would be no limit on how many SIM cards customers could buy.

 

Bangkok Senator Seri Suwannapanont was sceptical the controls would put an end to bomb attacks since copies of ID cards could be easily forged.

[Flashermac]

Just make sure not to wear your burnoose when you arrive at the immigration desk. Don't want to arouse their suspicions.

[carlton68]

Well,

 

we have the same system for SIMcard registration here in germany. From the point of security it isn't worth shit. Instead of buying the prepaid cards directly they buy it second or third hand via ebay, using false name, false account and either register with these false names or forget to register altogether.

There have been a few cases (think I remember two) where some stupid people made bomb threats via their mobile and were caught very fast because of the phone registration details.

Serious criminals aren't bothered by that.

 

I already picture the police storming Nana and arresting poor Lek, because she gave her SIM to 'Somchai' who failed to re-register...

[Mentors]

carlton68 said:

Well,

 

we have the same system for SIMcard registration here in germany. From the point of security it isn't worth shit. Instead of buying the prepaid cards directly they buy it second or third hand via ebay, using false name, false account and either register with these false names or forget to register altogether.

There have been a few cases (think I remember two) where some stupid people made bomb threats via their mobile and were caught very fast because of the phone registration details.

Serious criminals aren't bothered by that.

 

Here in Switzerland we have same system since last July with same poor result.

[Zorro]

They do that here in Saudi with the SIM cards.

 

It was a real pain in the neck trying to get a SIM card until i discovered that the phone shop at the local supermarket sold the sim card with 200 riyals credit for 300 riyals thereby of course making a mockery of the attempt at making SIM cards secure.

 

Lukily i have a Thai sim card which is valid til December 05.

[Khun_Kong]

Scenario:

 

Good farang registers card.

 

Card expires.

 

Number is reissued. To bomber.

 

Farang is fucked.

 

Can substitute farang with Thai. Can substitute bomber with any criminal.

 

Failure to consider stolen/lost phones/cards.

 

Don't see how this will have any of the stated impact.

 

As usual.

[radioman]

Such a suggestion raises a mountain of questions but it does look similar to many of the other things that get done here. All knee jerk reactions based on limited understanding, a little knowledge is dangerous right. I just don't get why they think this is the solution, which is simple and obvious to anyone, take away the reason for them to do this in the first place. Everything else is a half measure full of holes.

 

Cheers,

M.

[eee]

I thought the sim cards were good forever as long as you have your minutes left. How long are they good for? I intend to buy a simcard for my phone on my next trip. thanx eee

[OCgringo]

The problem is if you only go to LOS every 6 months or so,

you are not there to register the number !

 

Also where do I go ? MBK , 1-2-call office ? the police ?

 

looks like mass confusion and not going to really help the problems in the south

[Khun_Kong]

eee said:

I thought the sim cards were good forever as long as you have your minutes left. How long are they good for? I intend to buy a simcard for my phone on my next trip. thanx eee

 

With AIS:

 

No, you get so many minutes of VALIDITY with each recharge of the SIM card. This goes up to a max of about 1 year, I believe. After that, you're SIM can/will (?) become invalid.

 

A 100 baht recharge might give you something like 30 days validity, a 500 baht 3 months. The time is cumulative. Say you have a year of time built up- as long as you have at least 1 baht remaining, even a 50 baht recharge adds onto that time, up to a year.

 

Dunno about the others.

 

My TGF is normally fairly reserved. When I mentioned this plan to her, her comment was "Fuck off, Thaksin" ::