Plan to track all foreigners - NOT JUST TOURISTS - by SIM cards moves forward

[MaiDong]

3 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

So what happens if you DON"T have a SIM card and don't use a cellphone?

 

They'll implant a chip up your botty and enlist some red guards to stick close.

[vagabundo]

I wonder what is GDP % making by foreigners in Thailand... 
I have never seen such a gap between people and authorities in any country in the world.  Thais are mostly amazing, I feel like in heaven, but goverment wants to remove this smile from my face as hard as they only can.
Really, living in Thailand is pain in the ass more and more every sigle month... Maybe Thailand Elite Program isnt a bad idea. 

[MaiChai]

There are 60 million Thais in Thailand and a much smaller percent of foreigners; lets say 100,000. So statistically who will commit most of the crimes?

 

Since we all have to register sim cards with our passports anyway, this is rather pointless? They can track us already? What is it with those who are in power who are idiots?

[AlQaholic]

What is the difference between this concept and the GPS tracking device locked on convicts wrists or ankles, who are on parole or house arrest?

In essence this equates foreigners to convicts on parole.....

Edited August 9, 2016 by AlQaholic
grammar

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, TunnelRat69 said:

I wanted to get 'legal' last year, so went to MBK and bought a one to call number, hey asked for my pspt, so I gave it to them, he looked at it, then proceeded to put the SIM card into the phone and said "My Pen Rai"  I put a thousand baht on it and its good until mid-2017..............they can track the number but there isn't a name  associated with it.  Guess we shall see.

There is an easy way to check. Go here

 https://eservice.ais.co.th/eServiceWeb;jsessionid=wPBRw+m0y36dMmSHYcN0WhGJ.undefined

 

Enter phone number and request password. Enter the OTP and you will see your account. Go to call details and enter your passport number. If your passport is registered you can see the call details, if it is not you will not get access.

 

[sambum]

3 hours ago, seajae said:

now this is starting to get creepy,  tracking all non thais in Thailand through their phone is a joke, I rarely even turn mine on unless I want to use it. Have to wonder which idiot has suggested this, first they want us to fill in forms to tell them all our personal details and now this, have to think it is a certain thai that simply doesnt like farangs and wants them all gone, really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this sort of crap.

 

And once they're all gone, TAT will still be showing a  **% increase in tourist arrivals for last month! 

[manfredtillmann]

2 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

It is what I said many times before, the Thais don't like the foreigners, in general, they hate them, the only thing they like is the money, nothing more, nothing less.

so? any examples of different attitudes among other nations?

[edwarda909]

“We would just facilitate the police. So they could more easily track foreigners who enter the country and commit crimes,” he said. “The function is not in SIMs card for Thais because we can always easily track them.”

That explains why the crime rate is so low.

[puipuitom]

The Thai will do anything to let a farang feel uncomfortable in Thailand. The day comes, every farang is allowed only to dump his money at the airport and leave again.

When I started my business in tropical foods, in 1994, it was fun, pleasure and business to travel through Thailand, Now 2016: when I can do it with Skype, and avoid going to Thailand, I will do so. Better do my business with other ASEAN countries.

Thailand:  la gogne, popgan chat na.

[jmccarty]

There will be implants under the skin for you old farts that still don't carry a phone, on all the time.  And for those of you thinking of installing a fake gps coordinate app like this one: 

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lexa.fakegps

 

Shame on you!

[Autonuaq]

I see no difference with what they already can do around the world with simm card and email tracking.

 

Also they can do with camera tracking and also inside building with WIFI tracking.

 

it tells more about how much they not understand about the technology and the optins it has then it tells about the plan and vision they.

 

Thia are open what they want , other western countries do and not tell.

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

[Thian]

2 hours ago, hansnl said:

I guess all leaving the country for a single month will do just fine.

But.....

Can anyone imagine how this idea will be vented in the press in the western world?

Guess it might have a "heavy duty" impact on tourism.

 

What would the reaction be from the Chinese tourists?

 

The Chinese will be happy as long as they can use Line and Youtube on that simcard...they can't do it back home.

 

The Westerners will be offended and if they can't use their own simcard they won't come i guess. 

 

How will it work with the bill? If a tourist calls home with that simcard who will pay for that call at what price?

 

They better give free internet 4G to all tourists, they will be happy and can also be tracked by ip-number.

[tails]

LOL, my sim card is in my wifes name and she basically only goes to work, to see her family and to buy somtum (lot's of somtum).

 

No need for concern here as I highly doubt they can actually implement the technology correctly anyway!

[evadgib]

"Keep still fatty, this won't take long!"

 

[dunroaming]

Tourism is very important to the Thai economy   Expats spend a fraction of the money that tourists spend.  Thailand as a country do not like immigrants  (ie ex-pats) but tolerate them if they bring something to the table.  Everything else is just hot air

[Chicog]

I have a message for the NBTC:

[renaissanc]

The terrorists will still explode their bombs, if they want to. This move will not stop that.

[aussienam]

I am assuming that there is significant detail omitted from this report and hence causing some wild guesses and assumptions.  

The SIM card that is reported here I would believe would therefore just be perhaps a modified SIM of some sort that existing mobile phone carriers would need to replace over time.  it would not be an extra SIM as of course the technical issues and lack of additional SIM slots in most phones would make that impractical.  But I dare say it is just tracking data from the SIMS that we already have. 

With warrants it is not always necessary to have one to track suspects in other countries at least and tracking records via cell towers is quite standard law enforcement practice and a very useful evidence gathering tool.  More specific tracking requires triangulation and the costs can be quite prohibitive in most cases and very labor and time intensive. It would therefore only be for specific targets of suspected criminal activity and not just arbitrary tracking of all farangs.  

This report IMO is quite alarmist and being in Law enforcement myself know how media love to create the image of an intrusive police state where all and sundry are watching your every move.  To be honest that would be extremely boring - watching the movements of some random farang on a GPS with no outcome and for no reason.  Quite utterly ridiculous.  Yes maybe there could be very basic location records based on cell towers recorded.  And that kept in some data base for future reference if ever needed.  But quite honestly who cares? If you are not doing wrong and don't have some crazy paranoia or conspiracy theory you will be right IMO!  

[Mango Bob]

I will buy a cheap phone put that sims in it and keep it turn on with no money in it and keep it in my safe.

[KKr]

it is an illusion to believe that your current sim card cannot be tracked to about 50 meters.

Some countries offer the service already so one can see on your PC screen where for example your children go, or other people that are enlisted.
To enlist, all that is needed is a confirmation SMS, a small amount of money for subscribing to the service, and off you go to where your missus can find you.

 

[MaiDong]

You've got to imagine that a relative or friend of the person who devised this plan has a major stake-holding in the company who will be tasked with implementing it, over several years, at the public cost of hundreds of millions of Baht, only to fail before it's been launched and be swept silently under the already bulging rug, when most people have forgotten about it.

[Mango Bob]

Next move in you will have to show your phone when entering Thailand.  Airlines will have to check before you live your home country.

 

[PattayaAJF]

13 minutes ago, DualSportBiker said:

 

A cell phone is typically connected to 2 or 3 towers at any time, especially in towns. Data and voice is transmitted to the tower with the strongest signal. Location accuracy based on GPRS is highly variable. Where towers are densely packed, it can be quite accurate, and has the advantage of penetrating buildings.

GPS is more accurate, but the signals from the satellites are weak, so cannot be used in a building. It is prone also to errors in heavy cloud and areas with dense buildings. The antennae on phones are small, making connection with multiple GPS satellites harder, and reducing accuracy. I've not read any technical papers on this for a while, but the ideal approach is to use both GPS and GPRS to get an accurate location when in the open. Only GPRS can give locations in a building...

One last thing. Each SIM only connects with towers from the provider the user subscribes to, i.e., True, AIS, etc. It is feasible to have a 'ping only' connection to all providers' towers. That would increase accuracy dramatically. 

 

well said .. the only addition i would add is every time the phone is used (regardless of local or roaming SIM) the Call Data Record logs the A number (originating number), the B number (destination number), the Cell Sites utilised (omit if B number is a landline) and duration, etc.  which is used to generate the billing record that is sent to all appropriate mobile operators both in Thailand and overseas (if using a roaming SIM) ..

 

hence tracking/surveillance is really an "administrative" issue not a "technical" improbability as the information is already captured somewhere .. its just not aggregated at the moment ..  

[tails]

1 minute ago, aussienam said:

I am assuming that there is significant detail omitted from this report and hence causing some wild guesses and assumptions.  

The SIM card that is reported here I would believe would therefore just be perhaps a modified SIM of some sort that existing mobile phone carriers would need to replace over time.  it would not be an extra SIM as of course the technical issues and lack of additional SIM slots in most phones would make that impractical.  But I dare say it is just tracking data from the SIMS that we already have. 

With warrants it is not always necessary to have one to track suspects in other countries at least and tracking records via cell towers is quite standard law enforcement practice and a very useful evidence gathering tool.  More specific tracking requires triangulation and the costs can be quite prohibitive in most cases and very labor and time intensive. It would therefore only be for specific targets of suspected criminal activity and not just arbitrary tracking of all farangs.  

This report IMO is quite alarmist and being in Law enforcement myself know how media love to create the image of an intrusive police state where all and sundry are watching your every move.  To be honest that would be extremely boring - watching the movements of some random farang on a GPS with no outcome and for no reason.  Quite utterly ridiculous.  Yes maybe there could be very basic location records based on cell towers recorded.  And that kept in some data base for future reference if ever needed.  But quite honestly who cares? If you are not doing wrong and don't have some crazy paranoia or conspiracy theory you will be right IMO!  

 

 

True indeed

 

Isn't it also true that there are two methods to track a phone (gps or sim), where gps requires location services enabled and sim can't give your exact location anyway?

[Gweiloman]

How do they intend to distribute these cards? Would the immigration officers sitting behind the immigration counters have a pile of cards to issue to each and every foreigner? Also at the immigration offices when you go to do your 90 day report?

 

There are stupid ideas and stupid ideas but this one takes the cake so far this year.

[Golden Triangle]

So will it be the same scenario that we had when all pre-paid sims had to be registered to enable you to continue using it, register by such & such a date or we will turn it off ?

 

So, the next instruction will be, YOU WILL purchase the new sim, you WILL install it in your phone, we will attach your current number to the new sim (I've had my number for over 10 years) AND we will DISABLE your old sim.

 

Job's a gooden. 

 

Wait and see if that ain't right. 

Edited August 9, 2016 by Golden Triangle
Add a clarification: The above only apply's to Thai sim cards, not sure what they would do for Holiday makers or business people.

[tomacht8]

5 minutes ago, renaissanc said:

The terrorists will still explode their bombs, if they want to. This move will not stop that.

I think the responsible Einsteins know that.
This is all about, that some certain people can fill the private pockets with money.
 

[tails]

Just now, Gweiloman said:

How do they intend to distribute these cards? Would the immigration officers sitting behind the immigration counters have a pile of cards to issue to each and every foreigner? Also at the immigration offices when you go to do your 90 day report?

 

There are stupid ideas and stupid ideas but this one takes the cake so far this year.

 

distribute? they probably cut your service then force you to buy one, I highly doubt they will pay for it!

[mki8]

why dont they just make us all wear badges, like a finger pointing back at us with farang under it

 

or maybe a badge thats a bit easier to spot from a distance,

i dunno, like a big six pointed star or something

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

It's  just another excuse to make non Thais cough up another fee for being in their great country. Or did you think their mandatory Sim will be free? What about service fee for this Track-A-Criminal technology? Wasn't this technology supposed to be for tracking paroled felons and those on house arrest? Next thing after non compliance is they will make it mandatory by locked bracelet or implant.