2 hours ago, bdenner said:

How many of them don't use smart phones?

For tourists this is also a potential problem.

I hope they don't follow me to the gay steam sauna place down town? Lol

I'm just doing a story for BBC News 

[quote]

...turning your phone off doesn't stop gps.

[/quote]

 

As someone who used to design GPS receivers and systems for the UK military, I'd love to know how that works then.  I assume you mean that turning off your phone doesn't stop the GPS satellite birds in the sky whizzing around and doing their stuff for those with powered-on GPS phones? ????

2 hours ago, Dart12 said:

turning your phone off doesn't stop gps.

In what sense ?

2 hours ago, SGD said:

 

Highly unlikely. Go track a dog but you won't track me.

 

ha. in a few years you won't have a choice. enjoy staying at a hotel ? booking a airline/bus/boat/train ticket ? fancy a night out for dinner ? a movie ? anything other than staying within a few km of your house forever.

 

i love the ima hold out crowd. now maybe you are pretty old and won't last that long if that's the case bravo to you. 

 

otherwise you cannot avoid what is coming for you. 

50 minutes ago, fdsa said:

GPS runs on phone's modem

You cannot be serious!! 

30 minutes ago, Solinvictus said:

Just what a tourist that wants to holiday and take time off has in mind! Tracking!

Clutching at straws their buddy. 

2 hours ago, ben2talk said:

I'm curious if anyone in the world isn't laughing their socks off

i heard of a few countries who created various covid apps - all do not work.

apparently it is not so simple to create an app that works.

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

required to download the ThailandPlus app

 

Missing a trick there, lads, not a single mention of ชนะ or chana, the Thai word for "victory". 

Here's a suggestion: why not rename it to, say, ชนะฝรั่งโง่, or chana farang ngo. Means something like, "victory over the dumb foreigners," lol.

And yet another non-brainer. ????

 

Tourists be prepared to pay huge data roaming charges. They'll love that. 

2 hours ago, apex2000 said:

What about tourists who do not have a mobile phone?

What about tourists who do not have an Internet connection to their phone?

No consideration of these people.

if you can not afford to buy a few thousand baht smart phone after spending thousands of £ to get to Thailand its a bad show, no one has to travel to Thailand, excuses to the rules can always be found

7 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I'd love to know how that works then.

It’s all in the ‘mystery magic modem’, don’t yer know! 

2 minutes ago, PGSan said:

It’s all in the ‘mystery magic modem’, don’t yer know! 

 

ignorance is a bliss.

No big deal. Tourists can switch to Mexico average 7000 cases per day a couple hundred K dead, where they can pick up covid before leaving departures. 

There are always options.

No App no entry ok by me if it helps Thailand continue its excellent low covid count 

 

 

12 minutes ago, steve187 said:

if you can not afford to buy a few thousand baht smart phone after spending thousands of £ to get to Thailand its a bad show, no one has to travel to Thailand, excuses to the rules can always be found

Think before you make such rediculus comments. Smart phone cost is equivalent to 2 week holiday in Thailand. Then add roaming charges you will soon realise sorry have to go to another country for your holiday not many people are millionaires like you.

3 hours ago, apex2000 said:

What about tourists who do not have a mobile phone?

What about tourists who do not have an Internet connection to their phone?

No consideration of these people.

What sort of people travel half way across the world without a phone? 

3 hours ago, Dart12 said:

turning your phone off doesn't stop gps.

Neither does not having cell data plan.

How does the GPS work if the phone is off?

38 minutes ago, asiasurfer said:

And yet another non-brainer. ????

 

Tourists be prepared to pay huge data roaming charges. They'll love that. 

A moron using roaming deserves the charges. 

Tourists not wanting thai sim will create a hit when they check emails or surf the web in the tens of thousands of establishments providing free wifi which is pretty much every venue in tourist areas 

 

Pretty soon the new norm will be purchase a thai sim at the airport or as mentioned if you are a moron just activate roaming 

 

I've yet to see a tourist not fiddling with a phone. 

The 1% of dinasaurs that don't own a phone or know how to use one probably need a chaparone anyway ????

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The government said “the application would not infringe on the visitors’ right to privacy but would enhance COVID-19 tracing”.

"...world not infringe on visitor's right to privacy?"  That would be based on how you personally define infringement of privacy rights.  An application tracking your movement 24/7?  I define that as technology that is just like those used to track criminals on parole, just without the lock.  Mor Chana is already out there but the Thai government needs the extra-special tracking capability to keep their eyes on the pesky foreigners who are all seen as risks to Thai national security.  This isn't anything new.  The government has wanted to implement this for years but it would have impacted tourist numbers.  With the "Covid pandemic" as a backdrop and an excuse, they now roll it out.  And my guess is that if "Covid" was eradicated tomorrow, the ThailandPlus (invasive tracking) will remain in place forever after.  "New Normal" means never going back to the way things were.

It just makes me ponder how long it will take before they come after long-stay expats.  In Prathet Xenophobe I don't believe the elites running the show can help themselves. Paranoia and ingrained historical distrust of all foreigners is the norm and it's something that the "New Normal" will never change even as countries in the West are told by the likes of the World Economic Forum and "experts" that their borders must come down.  Thailand will be the next to the last country on that list right before North Korea.

In the meanwhile, TAT will be forecasting tourist numbers pulled out of a magician's hat.  Informed tourists will weigh all the now required regulations and requirements (such as ThailandPlus tracking) and make up their own minds whether or not to make Thailand a vacation choice.
Some informed foreigners will accept it and show up (those who don't mind being tracked and herded into chaperoned tour groups that are closely watched and monitored); other informed foreigners (like most of my American friends who have been coming here annually for years) will balk and go somewhere where the host country's government is more accepting of foreigners and magnitudes less paranoid.  It will all be a personal choice based on a tourist's appetite for lack of privacy vs freedom of movement.
So....
The bottom line:  Thailand will never recover their previous numbers of foreign tourists in the next 5 or 10 years if ever.  And they've done it to themselves because my guess is a lot of the regulations and requirements will remain in place well after the Covid scare is over and the world moves on to the next calamity.  And the requirements and regulations will be there to embrace the next "crisis" whatever it may be.
ThailandPlusNewNormal.    Now there ya have it!

Once an easy and nice place to live in, now more and more like a Chinese communist style hell. 

Rooster

 

I have a concern that might well need your opinion and expert advice...

 

Somebody who like you and me have chosen to live and retire to Thailand, has to leave. In my case it would be to escort my Mother in law either to Thailand or back to USA. She has Green Card, she can only stay out of United States less then 6 months or lose her Card. (Know fact... If for any other reason there is nothing on God's Green earth.... "That I would leave here for"! I have complied with all the silly regulations imposed on us Retirees. Have been here for almost 20 years as well has had Bank Account's reflecting more then enough to satisfy anything Immigration could throw at me and my Thai Wife. Any long term Visit would be unquestionably out of the question as we have 4 legged Family Members would rely on our presence, understand?

 

So if I am required to make this trip, upon returning to Thailand would it be deemed that I be required to obtain all these New Certificates and now fulfill all these New Requirments to gain entry? 

 

1. We have Private Home here. Immigration has gotten tired of stopping by for a "Beer". Hospital Stay has never been an issue as I can pay Cash On Demand... (Understand?) Insurance has never been needed other then what I can Buy from Bangkok Banks Insurance Department, which has been renewed each year for 15 or more years... (Getting Picture yet?)

 

2. Do we also need this Tracking Program? It to my Knowledge has never been addressed to or for those who are already here.. ???

 

I would Gladly do my Quarantined Time at home as I could fulfill my Obligations, I don't do much Traveling anymore as I am content in Building Custom Motorcycles, getting "Everything" delivered. We have become on a first name base with the Coke Cola Driver's who every 2 months deliver Pallets of Bottled Water. Lazada delivery knows me... Big C and Kerry Drivers have had Lunch with me.. etc..

 

Why would I need to stay out of Quarantine.

 

I am sure there are others who live year, Live on the same terms as we have chosen and would like to here an Honest Reply or even a Planned Invite to those (Whose words we can stand behind) to address any type of reply in Your Monthly Post.

 

Again Rooster, Thanks for your Chats here. I have share and they have been enjoyed by Thai and... Farlang alike!

 

Friend, David

1 hour ago, fdsa said:

school does not teach you that GPS runs on phone's modem and that modems are always powered on (even when you click "flight mode" in phone menu) and run a completely different operating system than the phone, and modems can download and run applications without notifying you, and you have absolutely no control over that behavior.

 

If turned off, or battery is flat, does GPS still work then?

3 hours ago, ben2talk said:

Interesting the way that most Thai's, even those with smartphones, tend to opt to scribble their name on a book instead of scanning in with apps everywhere...

My same friends say they pick up the pen, hover over the book, then move past.

Nobody ever checks you entered any information in the book.

(again, I would never do that)

55 minutes ago, fdsa said:

 

ignorance is a bliss.

Please then , explain how something inside a switched off phone/no battery, can still work, thanks.

3 hours ago, Dart12 said:

turning your phone off doesn't stop gps.

Neither does not having cell data plan.

Not all Cell Phone have GPS either... They gonna replace these phones in exchange for visit? People would not Buy just to impose being Tracked!! Also those with GPS... It can be disabled at the push of a Button!!

 

12 minutes ago, davidstipek said:

Rooster

 

I have a concern that might well need your opinion and expert advice...

 

Somebody who like you and me have chosen to live and retire to Thailand, has to leave. In my case it would be to escort my Mother in law either to Thailand or back to USA. She has Green Card, she can only stay out of United States less then 6 months or lose her Card. (Know fact... If for any other reason there is nothing on God's Green earth.... "That I would leave here for"! I have complied with all the silly regulations imposed on us Retirees. Have been here for almost 20 years as well has had Bank Account's reflecting more then enough to satisfy anything Immigration could throw at me and my Thai Wife. Any long term Visit would be unquestionably out of the question as we have 4 legged Family Members would rely on our presence, understand?

 

So if I am required to make this trip, upon returning to Thailand would it be deemed that I be required to obtain all these New Certificates and now fulfill all these New Requirments to gain entry? 

 

1. We have Private Home here. Immigration has gotten tired of stopping by for a "Beer". Hospital Stay has never been an issue as I can pay Cash On Demand... (Understand?) Insurance has never been needed other then what I can Buy from Bangkok Banks Insurance Department, which has been renewed each year for 15 or more years... (Getting Picture yet?)

 

2. Do we also need this Tracking Program? It to my Knowledge has never been addressed to or for those who are already here.. ???

 

I would Gladly do my Quarantined Time at home as I could fulfill my Obligations, I don't do much Traveling anymore as I am content in Building Custom Motorcycles, getting "Everything" delivered. We have become on a first name base with the Coke Cola Driver's who every 2 months deliver Pallets of Bottled Water. Lazada delivery knows me... Big C and Kerry Drivers have had Lunch with me.. etc..

 

Why would I need to stay out of Quarantine.

 

I am sure there are others who live year, Live on the same terms as we have chosen and would like to here an Honest Reply or even a Planned Invite to those (Whose words we can stand behind) to address any type of reply in Your Monthly Post.

 

Again Rooster, Thanks for your Chats here. I have share and they have been enjoyed by Thai and... Farlang alike!

 

Friend, David

Coming from the USA of all places of course you will quarantine every trip you make untill the rules change 

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

If turned off, or battery is flat, does GPS still work then?

Toss it in a EMF Faraday bag and then you don't have to worry. 
Personally I can't stand "Smart Phone" technology as it's built on the foundation of stripping away your privacy, mining your personal data, and then showering you with advertisements.  Mine doesn't get much use. 

1 minute ago, davidstipek said:

Not all Cell Phone have GPS either... They gonna replace these phones in exchange for visit? People would not Buy just to impose being Tracked!!

 

Your talking 0000.1% smart phones out there. 

They stay home.. Oh well 

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

My same friends say they pick up the pen, hover over the book, then move past.

Nobody ever checks you entered any information in the book.

(again, I would never do that)

So edgy.. ????

4 minutes ago, madmen said:

Coming from the USA of all places of course you will quarantine every trip you make untill the rules change 

If this is the case they are choosing to Block Travel of Thai Citizens who have been Mandated they cannot travel alone... They are required by Airlines to be accompanied by an Escort... This is an Age issue! and a Green Card Issue...