reader Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 Excerpts from Nikkei Asian Review BANGKOK -- Thailand will require anyone buying a SIM card in the country -- a central part of mobile phones -- to register fingerprints or facial scans in a government database, a security measure that some worry could be abused to give the ruling junta broad surveillance capabilities . The government launched a biometric registration system for prepaid SIM cards in December. This will be extended in February to include postpaid contracts, covering nearly all SIM cards sold in the country. The fingerprint and facial scans are linked to the SIM cards' respective phone numbers and stored in a database operated by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. If SIM card suppliers -- including mobile carriers such as Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication and True -- fail to comply with the registration requirement, they could face fines or have their licenses suspended. Authorities believe that tying SIM cards to biometric data will help deal with a wide range of offenses beyond terrorism as well, helping police apprehend criminals while also providing a source of evidence. "We also want to require registration of previously purchased SIM cards in order to protect the public," NBTC Secretary-General Takorn Tantasith said in November. But some worry that the system will be ripe for abuse. Combining personal identifiers with location and other data that can be gleaned from a phone could give authorities a detailed picture of a given person's day-to-day activities. The requirement applies to international visitors as well. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Thailand-to-require-biometric-registration-for-SIM-cards Quote
vinapu Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 But some worry that the system will be ripe for abuse. Combining personal identifiers with location and other data that can be gleaned from a phone could give authorities a detailed picture of a given person's day-to-day activities. Hitler and Stalin would be happy to have such a tool at their disposal Quote
Guest phayao Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 If the SIM card is linked to an ID card or Passport, then there is not need to go any further. Quote
Guest Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 Many countries take fingerprints at the border, which I always thought was fair enough. Considering crime & ID theft issues, taking fingerprints of 100% of the people in a country and all people crossing into that country would be acceptable to me. As long as the data is not misused. Quote
vinapu Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Considering crime & ID theft issues, taking fingerprints of 100% of the people in a country and all people crossing into that country would be acceptable to me. sure, first take fingerprints of all citizens and then after election run through all voting cards and government knows how people voted. Will not take long with today's technology. Quote
Popular Post Uranus Posted January 31, 2018 Popular Post Posted January 31, 2018 As long as the data is not misused. Yes, of course. All the guys in power are nice guys. vinapu, Up2u, khaolakguy and 2 others 5 Quote
vinapu Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Yes, of course. All the guys in power are nice guys. and government databases are never broken into by even nicer guys Quote
bkkguy Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 and government databases are never broken into by even nicer guys which is why we should have no qualms about giving governments backdoor access to encryption keys bkkguy Quote
Andy2512 Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 which is why we should have no qualms about giving governments backdoor access to encryption keys bkkguy My very good friend used to say that if the person is not up to anything bad, they can collect whatever information they want. Which leads to three conclusions: 1. do not plan or do anything illegal 2. do not buy Thai SIM-card 3. if you do anything illegal - pray that you're not discovered. Cheers! santosh108 1 Quote
Guest FASAJIP Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 What can be the level of confidence in a military dictatorship ? Russian, chinese examples are not suffisant for all of us ! Quote
bkkguy Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 My very good friend used to say that if the person is not up to anything bad, they can collect whatever information they want. Which leads to three conclusions: 1. you never know who will be deciding what ls "bad" or when that decision may be made so we should not be allowing anyone to collect whatever information they want so as to protect ourselves from abuse of power now and in the future 2. your right to privacy is not about hiding something bad you are doing, it should be a fundamental human right and if any government or organisation wants to violate that privacy they should need to make a very good case not just vague soundbites about terrorism, crime or protecting the children 3. it is not necessarily a good idea to mindlessly accept the words of wisdom sprouted by your "good friends" and yes I do realise that as a hopeless libertarian who still wants to use his mobile phone in Thailand and get his annual retirement extension I am on the horns of a dilemma and I do also realise the chances of the Thai population rising up against such authoritarian tyrannical actions is slim, particularly given the public apathy to such actions in most liberal western democracies these days - but really I am just here for the food, the temples and the smiles so I really am not doing anything wrong bkkguy reader, vinapu, kokopelli and 1 other 4 Quote
kokopelli Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 - but really I am just here for the food, the temples and the smiles so I really am not doing anything wrong bkkguy Same as with all of us. Quote
Andy2512 Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 1. you never know who will be deciding what ls "bad" or when that decision may be made so we should not be allowing anyone to collect whatever information they want so as to protect ourselves from abuse of power now and in the future 2. your right to privacy is not about hiding something bad you are doing, it should be a fundamental human right and if any government or organisation wants to violate that privacy they should need to make a very good case not just vague soundbites about terrorism, crime or protecting the children 3. it is not necessarily a good idea to mindlessly accept the words of wisdom sprouted by your "good friends" and yes I do realise that as a hopeless libertarian who still wants to use his mobile phone in Thailand and get his annual retirement extension I am on the horns of a dilemma and I do also realise the chances of the Thai population rising up against such authoritarian tyrannical actions is slim, particularly given the public apathy to such actions in most liberal western democracies these days - but really I am just here for the food, the temples and the smiles so I really am not doing anything wrong bkkguy I do not condone collection of any data just for the sake of collecting it, mind you. But I'm pragmatic. While I type these words, there can potentially be someone that will either receive a copy of my piece or that they can store it for possible future use. We leave digital fingerprints and footprints all over the world. How come does Google know that I'll be going to Bangkok in the end of February, and how do they know where I'll be staying? I know how they know. I think that here's the difference - not knowing about your data being transmitted/collected/used/sold etc versus knowing that this happens and exert some form of control over that. I suppose this all boils down to the fact, still, that if you're up to no good, you'd have vested interest in keeping your data as private and guarded as possible. Even tyrannical societies need "something" to harass you for. Strolling on a temple park and making a call from there wishing your relative happy birthday doesn't really constitute substantial reason to take action against you. But if your country punishes for, let's say, homosexual activities, then you're bound to know that you're putting your kneck on the line. Perhaps it is time for me to take off my pink glasses but... Well, you get the picture... Sorry, English is not my first language and maybe my thought don't get across well, for that I apologise. Cheers! Quote
santosh108 Posted February 3, 2018 Posted February 3, 2018 bkkguy, on 03 Feb 2018 - 05:04 AM, said: - but really I am just here for the food, the temples and the smiles so I really am not doing anything wrong bkkguy Same as with all of us. Wait a minute - I thought that this forum was about quite a little bit more than just food, temples and smiles...... reader 1 Quote
reader Posted February 4, 2018 Author Posted February 4, 2018 Wait a minute - I thought that this forum was about quite a little bit more than just food, temples and smiles...... "I was misinformed," Rick Blaine, Casablanca. Quote
fedssocr Posted February 11, 2018 Posted February 11, 2018 On my last trip I just used the FlexiroamX SIM overlay. It's only good for data though. So if you need a phone number it won't help you there. I think GoogleFi should work as well. Quote
