NSC working on mega database on all Thai citizens

[Lite Beer]

NSC working on mega database on all Thai citizens
THE SUNDAY NATION

BANGKOK: -- A MOVE to integrate state information databases into one data network is underway to spur national development and manage security more efficiently, the just-retired secretary-general of the National Security Council Anusit Kunakorn has said.

He revealed this during an interview on NOW channel's "the 26th Hour''.

An "electronic superhighway network" formally known as the Government Information Network (GIN) - or Super GIN - has been established to help the government boost economic growth, assist with natural disasters, tackle illegal trade, criminal activity and manage security issues, said Anusit, who retired at the end of last month.

GIN is the initiative of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. "The PM believes integrating the country's databases will benefit not only the government but also the public, business or the private sector that can utilise this information sharing system,'' he said.

According to a February 8 resolution by the Prayut Cabinet, the PM chairs a committee to implement this project. Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also Defence Minister, oversees the project and Anusit was made secretary of the committee.

Prayut wanted the Information Communications and Technology Ministry to be the main agency to pool information from various ministries, Anusit said.

At this stage, information from different ministries is linked manually, such as databases of the Revenue Department, Department of Provincial Administration, which is in charge of civil registration, the Royal Thai Police, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (NCB). Many databases could not be linked yet, he said.

But critics have questioned if this sharing of information, which includes civil registration databases, will intrude into individuals' privacy. Many people may not want their financial information or criminal records to be shared or known just via a single check.

Presently the Civil Registration keeps fingerprint records of each individual (their right and left thumbs). Those without thumbs have prints of their index, middle, ring and little fingers kept respectively.

What critics fear is that this project could be geared toward having all 10 fingerprints kept and even DNA collected and stored. But Anusit said: "To collect and keep DNA information, a new law would have to be passed."

He argued that having complete identity records for people would be useful for many incidents, such as natural disasters.

"People should not think that having 10 fingerprints make them look like criminals. For the country to move ahead people should think out of the box and we must adjust ourselves with the times. People have nothing to lose in having their 10 fingerprints kept in databases,'' Anusit said.

"People who do nothing wrong do not have to worry. If you are not criminals but decent people who earn your livelihood honestly, or officials who are not corrupt, I believe you would not reject this system because all parties will benefit. Checks enabled by this system create transparency,'' he said.

Benefits from the project would be huge, Anusit said. For instance, people could get new national ID cards faster, officials could check if ID cards were falsified or if criminals had used ID cards of people who had died or held several ID cards. Officials could check if migrants, hilltribe or ethnic minority people - who do not own national ID cards but are given different types of cards - hold only one correct ID card. They could be checked more easily if they illegally enter the country or engage in illegal activity. Landowners could check their ownership of land title deeds, and people may be able to find the whereabouts of missing family members.

"Bank accounts, debts, credit cards can also be checked through this information sharing system,'' he said.

The private sector can link databases with those of civil registration. This would enable companies to access information on applicants such as their authentic ID cards. They could also link to databases of the Labour Ministry, which would help them get information such as where applicants worked before.

When the Asean Economic Community starts next year, surveillance information systems and information sharing would be useful for immigration issues such as when people cross borders.

"Immigration officials would have criminal records or blacklists of the NCB or the Corrections Department. Criminals fleeing the country would find it much harder. The integrated system will be like you see in foreign movies, you key in ID numbers and you will know that person's criminal record," he said.

To help boost security in the restive South, security officials could link the Land Transport Department's car registration information with Internet protocol (IP) by smart phones to check on cars. "The public also benefits from this information system if they encounter car thefts,'' he said.

Anusit said the PM had long pushed for this project before the 17 August bomb attacks in Bangkok took place. If security databases were fully integrated, police investigations would be easier.

"We would have had information about bomb parts because there have been patterns of bombs around the world. If the public does not have a negative attitude, they would enjoy greater security with this integrated system that can be efficiently managed and updated,'' he said.

The ICT Ministry will design the system to identify the level of confidentiality in order to determine what information should be shared with various state agencies, or what data the private sector or the public can access, Anusit said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/NSC-working-on-mega-database-on-all-Thai-citizens-30270135.html

-- The Nation 2015-10-04

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[BSJ]

A lot of the old folk who use the farmers bank at Noen Mapraung still use a thumb print when they withdraw money. The security guard outside has an ink pad and I have seen him helping the older folk do the thumb print.

On the one hand I think it's good for the government to have an efficient system to deal with citizens needs but on the other hand there can be a dark side too!

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

"The Great Firewall of Thailand" and now "electronic superhighway network" can see now in what direction this country is heading and I don't like it.

"Thailand land of the Free", sure. More like "land of big brother is watching you" now

[shirtless]

Why do they need a data base on the citizens all of a sudden, looks like the Junta are control freaks trying to retain poer as long as possible while destroying the countries economic viability.

[NeverSure]

"...to spur national development and manage security more efficiently..."

Yes, the security of the Junta against the people.

[Oziex1]

Of course the people they need to know about will dodge it.

Hi sos will not be required to be on it and mad bombers without ID cards can ply their trade freely.

[thesetat2013]

Even in modernized countries such as the USA and UK the citizens are not fingerprinted unless they have been arrested. Privacy violations seem to be unimportant for this gov as long as they claim it is for the betterment of the people. As for Anusit's claims noone can be sure how much is true or misinformation and how much was not said that would invoke the people to block this plan. Altogether Anusit's plan alon with the ICT should be reviewed very carefully as well as the laws that would protect the peoples rights and privacy. This is another recipe for disaster I think.

[BigBadGeordie]

A brave new world for sure, next the thought police!

[Thian]

Can we still buy fake ID-cards at that backpackers-street?

[Usernames]

"People who do nothing wrong do not have to worry.

Okay.

[ratcatcher]

An "electronic superhighway network" formally known as the Government Information Network (GIN) "

At the same time the Prime Minister also announced the formation of a parallel system known as the THAI OFFICE for NON IMMIGRANT CONTROL (TONIC).

This joint operation known as GIN & TONIC will enable Thailand to efficiently control both aliens and Thai citizens, thus ensuring total personal & economic security for the country..

[kmj]

Whoop whoop only a single database to hack and collect all available data...

[bamnutsak]

One of the tenets of the PDRC protests was "decentralization". (Not that that term was ever defined, just spouted ad nauseam by Suthep and his gang.)

I guess that didn't last long?

[MZurf]

Uncle Too bringing happiness to the people, one Orwellian step at a time!

[CWMcMurray]

Headline sounds scary..

But reading down.. Just sounds like not collecting 'more information'.. Just linking all existing databases..

Which I think is a good thing... And something most western democracies already do and have done for many years

[hEaDy]

Headline sounds scary..

But reading down.. Just sounds like not collecting 'more information'.. Just linking all existing databases..

Which I think is a good thing... And something most western democracies already do and have done for many years

Let's collect data because we all live in fear, the root of democracy...

[NCC1701A]

wow i feel sorry for the Thai people. the power this information gives to the thousands of corrupt officials sitting in government offices who have access to every bit of your personal information. forever.

and if you don't think this "database" has a column called "known associates" you are incredibly naive.

[smedly]

This idea/concept is not new, the problems begins when the authorities start to confuse private data with government records - you are then getting into forehead barcode territory, as mentioned already companies like google and facebook are already massing the private data in a very intrusive way that most people cannot begin to understand, think of your google/FB profile as a tree and you are the trunk and all the branches and leaves (your profile) are in sync with all the other trees you connect with, everything you interact with is being logged and recorded, imagine this, you have set your phone to not record location data to google, someone catches your face in the background of a holiday photo and stores that photo in "the cloud" or uploads it to facebook, face recognition software will have scanned and processed every face in the photo including yours and identified you

[Orac]

There are huge efficiency savings to be made here.

Imagine a world where the police don't have to stop everyone to administer a feeble fine for driving whilst chewing gum or the likes but can instead just key in your registration number any know immediately wether you are worth stopping and exactly how much you can be extorted for - they may even be able to save you more time by paying the fine directly from your bank account themselves.

Or the effect it will have on that terrible asian affliction of 'face' where anyone with a smartphone will be able to pull up the recently hacked details of their neighbour and fine out that they she doesn't really own that mercedes and is up to her eyeballs in debt.

Seriously though, the technical ability of the Junta to pull this off is questionable though i am sure some IT companies would love the idea of being able to try such a stunt not to mention that any bank that values its customers would be insane to give any outsider access to the sort of details that are being talked about. Any such database, were it to be created, would be compromised straight away be it by someone selling access for a fee or a hack - was the figure something like 84% for government computers infected with malware, the highest in the world by a significant margin if i remember correctly.

[ronthai]

Good, go for it. Every citizen of this world should be fingerprinted.

My government has mine, done in Bangkok Embassy twice now for a new passport.

All other information is already available anyway, just as mentioned in the 2nd post above (smedly member).

DNA, I am still at 50-50, has good and bad sides.

Edited October 4, 2015 by ronthai

[oneday]

Yeah, they want this for nature disasters and other benevolent and altruistic reasons 1%.

They want this for national security, criminal investigations and general surveillance of citizens 99%.

[HOOD Robin]

Thailand...... Hub of JOKES & CORRUPTION

[TheKnave]

Like little children, people will be led to their own enslavement.

Just what's needed: a bunch of hyper-corrupt a**holes, with access to everyone's personal info...sure, I trust 'em...

[Bob12345]

Maybe the general can give the good example by having his data linked together first.

Then we can nicely see how his monthly salary accumulated and made him so damn rich.

I am sure he would not mind, as he is a good person, did nothing wrong, and has nothing to hide, right?

[TheCruncher]

"The Great Firewall of Thailand" and now "electronic superhighway network" can see now in what direction this country is heading and I don't like it.

"Thailand land of the Free", sure. More like "land of big brother is watching you" now

Thailand land of the free? That sounds like that other country with their first amendment and the national organization spying on every citizen and his dog in the world.

[TheKnave]

Good, go for it. Every citizen of this world should be fingerprinted.

My government has mine, done in Bangkok Embassy twice now for a new passport.

All other information is already available anyway, just as mentioned in the 2nd post above (smedly member).

DNA, I am still at 50-50, has good and bad sides.

Words fail me.

[TheCruncher]

"...to spur national development and manage security more efficiently..."

Yes, the security of the Junta against the people.

Maybe soon the NSC will also start spying om Merckel, Abe and Hollande, under the excuse of security

[soalbundy]

A brave new world for sure, next the thought police!

Who would be thinking in Thailand ?

[GAZZPA]

Sounds great theoretically, catch the criminals, protect the people and country, collect all the taxes, deter cyber crime, manage immigration and as long as you are a law abiding citizen you have nothing to worry about,, or do you?

The big question is do you trust the current people in charge with all this power and information?

As an example, I happen to think that the 2 Burmese guys facing trial right now for the murders on Koh Tao are innocent (if you have different opinion, ok but not for debate here). So imagine having all that power at that point. If the people who are guilty of the murder are identified from the finger print data base would you 100% trust that the police and authorities would go and arrest the right person irrespective as to whether they are rich, poor, powerful or connected? Also, if they were theoretically going to frame someone else they would have enormous amounts of information to "cherry pick" a suitable scapegoat.

Also, I wonder what the people of Thailand will say when the government says it is going to check on "everyones" tax returns, records and registered businesses? From what i hear a huge %age of the population do not pay tax (even if they should) and are under the radar.

For me this is an abuse of power and will most likely end up being a serious infringement on people freedom of speech and freedom of privacy.

First, this country needs to eradicate corruption and elect a responsible government who can steer the ship in the right direction for a while and build real trust with the people, then this could possibly be discussed and considered. Right now the idea of corrupt officials and privileged having all this information to hand to potentially abuse it is very frightening.

[tajtom]

The word SHARING needs to bwe changed to CONTROLLING

This is another load of rubbish and will never happen anyway. This links into his one internet highway LOL

I also quite like the AS ONE marketing campaign. A good old fashioned brain cleaner. The happy little Thais love that stuff