webfact Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Thailand approves plans to track tourists' phones (BBC) Thailand is considering requiring tourists to use special Sim cards that would allow authorities to track their mobile phones. The plans have been approved in principle by Thailand's telecommunications regulator, which denies it is an invasion of privacy. The body says it is intended to catch those who overstay their visa. More than 19 million foreigners have visited Thailand this year, says Thailand's Tourism and Sports Ministry. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) said the special Sim cards would come with tracking enabled, which the user could not turn off. Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37030867 -- BBC 2016-08-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezflip Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Still no mention of consequences or implementation... Nice theory but I don't see how they are going to implement this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinnock Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 I think we're all missing the point of this proposal. If you are in the mobile phone industry, then a proposal that could force all tourists to buy a particular SIM card plan is a good money spinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JImH2O Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 (edited) More info is needed, especially on the technical side. Like i said in another thread, i don't believe they can pull it off becaue they are simply too incompetent to achieve anything sophisticated as this. But the day they force me to put their simcard in my phone so they can track me i will leave this country. I'm very keen on my privacy and don't use any social media etc., not even my big brother homecountry invades my privacy like Thailand is trying to do. Edited August 10, 2016 by JImH2O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 What is the point of it? Is Thailand going to have areas off limits to tourists and foreign media like China and Russia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 2 minutes ago, JImH2O said: More info is needed, especially on the technical side. Like i said in another thread, i don't believe they can pull it off becaue they are simply too incompetent to achieve anything sophisticated as this. But the day they force me to put their simcard in my phone so they can track me i will leave this country. I'm very keen on my privacy and don't use any social media etc., not even my big brother homecountry invades my privacy like Thailand is trying to do. How are they going to stop "Roaming" using a none Thai sim or just acquiring a Thai SIM card on the black market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Quote Thai authorities say the move would help catch foreigners who commit crimes or overstay their visa http://time.com/4446059/thailand-tourists-cell-phone-tracking/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JImH2O Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 1 minute ago, Basil B said: How are they going to stop "Roaming" using a none Thai sim or just acquiring a Thai SIM card on the black market? They could block roaming and penalize anyone caught using a SIM card on a Thai persons name. But that's not the point. If i have to resort to such tactics then i rather move to another country where they don't treat me like a criminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramrod711 Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Kinnock said: I think we're all missing the point of this proposal. If you are in the mobile phone industry, then a proposal that could force all tourists to buy a particular SIM card plan is a good money spinner. That was the first thing on my mind as well, make the sim card 200 baht and the minutes regular price, it's a home run. Unused minutes equal free cash. Edited August 10, 2016 by ramrod711 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Just now, JImH2O said: They could block roaming and penalize anyone caught using a SIM card on a Thai persons name. But that's not the point. If i have to resort to such tactics then i rather move to another country where they don't treat me like a criminal. I think you will find that roaming is a reciprocal arrangement and many couturiers or service providers may retaliate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ourmanflint Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Wait until foreign diplomats decide they would rather not be tracked. Thailand will be told where it can stick their plans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hansnl Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 As soon as I have to use such a big brother card, I will simply stop using any mobile phone. I wonder how the press in foreign countries will react to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockman Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Fools dream, they cannot even manage water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lahgon29 Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 So easy to get around...Any girl in Pattaya would register a number in her name for a kickback. If someone was going to overstay or commit a crime, they wouldn't be having a tracked SIM card in their phone unless they were stupid. I live here because I have a wife and kid and I'm retired. Why the millions of tourists come here when there are other better options available, eludes me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLee Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Does it mean, they can see the pictures that you take, or the videos you film??? LOL.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 (edited) Ditch the phone... Cold Turkey <bbc>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37012071 </bbc> (Edit in... what has happened to the "Special BBCodes"?) Edited August 10, 2016 by Basil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracker1 Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Many areas have no reception so I take it can't be tracked either and I use the Mrs phone in her name when I have to so hmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianf Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 8 minutes ago, ourmanflint said: Wait until foreign diplomats decide they would rather not be tracked. Thailand will be told where it can stick their plans! All foreigners or just tourists? Either way, these people are mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingstonkid Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 7 minutes ago, ramrod711 said: That was the first thing on my mind as well, make the sim card 200 baht and the minutes regular price, it's a home run. Unused minutes equal free cash. How many shops in MBK and other areas will have to close or go out of business because they do not have the cards. Yes there is probably money to be made but I think some will lose. LAHGON29 You are saying that over stayers are "smart" Just read all the posts about guys that have friends that have trouble I wonder how many short timers actually buy a card. The next question though is what do they do about us that already have phones and sim cards. I have a payment plan already and really would like to know how that will work. Diplomats will be given phones and exemption from this so they will not really care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveBKK Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 1) It's fairly trivial to track roaming phones on a network. The trick is matching a number to subscriber info. I'm sure they'll just they'll ask for a mobile number (if using roaming) on arrival cards and then they have you. 2) As for ditching mobile phones or using a blackmarket sim, they *could* make it illegal to not carry a phone + sim.... just like passport. Then the police have another reason to check foreigners and jam them up on the street. 3) As mentioned, I'm imagining part of the motivation here is to direct "foreigners" to "foreign" phone plans/sims that will probably be premium priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samtam Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 There has been so much misinformation on this subject - applicable to tourists, then applicable to foreigners living in Thailand, the latter not confirmed by yesterday's in-principle decision. However, what I do not understand is how, if the latter were implemented, (that it might apply to foreigners living Thailand), how it is any different to that which already happens; my Thai SIM is only operable because I have provided a copy of my passport to Dtac, who photographed it, and sent it to a database. In other words, my SIM is already registered, and in theory no one can obtain a SIM in Thailand without going through this procedure. Isn't a phone number traceable with or without GPS switched on? How can you change a SIM to not being able to switch GPS on/off? do we all need to get one of these new locked GPS "on" SIMs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaBoy Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 This is so stupid. "The body says it is intended to catch those who overstay their visa." "As well as visa overstayers, it said it could also be used to find those on the run from police" Im sure they will keep using simcard knowing they being tracked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kru Baa Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 (edited) Think of all the fun you could have with this. Just get a cheap phone and send it all over the place. Mail it to one end of the country then another , tie it around a son dogs neck, or get one of those drones and fly it all over town and watch them try to find it. Idiots. Edited August 10, 2016 by Kru Baa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted August 10, 2016 Author Share Posted August 10, 2016 Thailand Plans to Track Foreign Tourists Through Their Cell Phones Amanda Calvo Thai authorities say the move would help catch foreigners who commit crimes or overstay their visa Thailand announced plans Tuesday that would require foreigners visiting the popular Southeast Asian country to have location-tracking SIM cards in theirphones so authorities can easily monitor their whereabouts. Takorn Tantasith, Secretary General of the state telecoms regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), defended the move saying it was useful for national security, according to the Bangkok Post. “It is not to limit tourists’ rights,” Takorn said. “Instead, it is to locate them which will help if there are some tourists who overstay or run away [from police],” reports Agence France-Presse. Full story: http://time.com/4446059/thailand-tourists-cell-phone-tracking/ -- TIME 2016-08-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realenglish1 Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 The slope is developing more ice !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinneil Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Just another numb nuts idea. How are they ever going to implement it? My phone is not registered in my name, but the wifes. So check away, i will just be under the radar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacherpaul Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 32 minutes ago, Kinnock said: I think we're all missing the point of this proposal. If you are in the mobile phone industry, then a proposal that could force all tourists to buy a particular SIM card plan is a good money spinner. That is assuming that every tourist has the mental capacity of a boiled potato. Only an idiot would actually use this sim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 (edited) The headline is wrong " Thailand approves plans" . This is just repeated on BBC , nothing new here. Still just a plan that needs to get approval from the Thai government. Edited August 10, 2016 by balo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 (edited) It's a cash cow for those implementing it. That's all. It won't work - lets face it where I live they can't even keep the power on when it rains heavily! But that really doesn't matter, as long as the cash comes rolling in - there will be budgets to be "managed", IT to be "procurred" and jobs to be sold, sorry I meant suitable applicants to be "recruited" to staff it. It's really quite clever - all justified by the need to control "Johnny Foreigner" Edited August 10, 2016 by JAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chainarong Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Thailand is the only country in the world that I have heard of to introduce this method of spying on foreigners , I should imagine this excuse to help authorities in investigations, other countries would have the same problem , nothing but control , there are no rules when it comes to a Junta , long time Thai watchers know this , for those that have not experienced Junta rule, you have no rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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