Thailand approves plans to track tourists' phones

[Winniedapu]

17 minutes ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

It never ceases to amaze me. With all the many 'other' issues this Country has, road safety etc and this is at the top of their agenda to catch a few overstayers/  Rubbish!!! This is nothing more than some small groups illusion that they can 'control'.  What about Sat phones, mobile International roaming, internet phones?  Seriously, who thinks this s..t up?

 

Look at it from their POV. 33% referendum endorsement, train projects crumbling, corruption still rampant, economy in free-fall.

 

Anything to divert attention? ah yes! foreigners are evil! That'll do. Someone might be fooled...

 

Winnie

[Heng]

Argue whichever way you like but a good net doesn't have to mean that it will catch ALL the fish.  

[lemonjelly]

So the immigration computers start flagging people who are on overstay, link to the overstayer's sim, locate said overstayer and send out an immigration SWAT team to nab overstayer.... it'll be exciting for the IO's in the beginning, lots of photo ops and pointing, but the novelty will wear off fairly quickly. 

[MadMac]

Just give them another phone number on the next extension. It's all so silly BS. How can they, or even imagine to, run a country?!

 

[Heng]

What won't wear out is the taxation opportunity.   That'll go out of style like 1,900 Baht purple ink stamps.   

[Winniedapu]

6 minutes ago, MadMac said:

Just give them another phone number on the next extension. It's all so silly BS. How can they, or even imagine to, run a country?!

 

 

There is a very straightforward answer, but it cannot be stated here. 

 

Winnie

[crankshaft]

8 hours ago, Basil B said:

What is the point of it?

 

Is Thailand going to have areas off limits to tourists and foreign media like China and Russia?  

 

I think the point is first the foreigners to ease the idea in of trackable  sim cards and then the general Thai population...

 

Win win for the government in the long run to be able to track Thais and big $$$ for the Telco's with a complete reissue of millions of tamper proof sim cards...

[tomacht8]

Another thought

“Oh, I, as a foreigner always come regularly to Thailand to rob banks and gold shops.
No problem with the tracking Phone.
Next time I'll simply let the phone at home or in the hotel, when I make my forays.
Gives me then also simultaneously an alibi.

If I want to be a little nasty, I just steal a tracking Phone in the

Khao San Road

from an unsuspecting backpacker, and rob with his phone in my pocket a bank.”

So the tracking phones are a good thing for criminals.
One can lay beautiful false trails and can blame easily innocent people.

The image of the criminal foreigner appears to be quite rooted in the minds of the responsible Thais. This is the Thai welcoming culture today.
A pity.
Would not be surprised, if this will lead to declining visitor numbers.

[wobalt]

12 minutes ago, crankshaft said:

 

I think the point is first the foreigners to ease the idea in of trackable  sim cards and then the general Thai population...

 

Win win for the government in the long run to be able to track Thais and big $$$ for the Telco's with a complete reissue of millions of tamper proof sim cards...

Exactly, it's a pilot run. If they would introduce that now to the general Thai population it would end quickly before courts..but with tourists..

[MadMac]

I said that when these news appeared first. It's a smooth way to gain more control and nobody realizes it. 

Edited August 10, 2016 by MadMac

[pegman]

8 hours ago, ianf said:

All foreigners or just tourists? Either way, these people are mad.

All. I'm starting to wonder whether Vietnam may be a better option to live. They are changing their laws to allow foreigner ownership of houses and property. 

[tonysilly]

How about if you stop playing games and start protecting tourist?  

[PattayaBoy]

We are spied on in home countries on bigger scale anyway.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_government_mass_surveillance_projects

 

 

[Wollont]

This is just another corruption scheme, nothing special. Any sim card in any country in the world can already be tracked. That's how mobile communication works.

[Fabricus]

1 hour ago, pegman said:

All. I'm starting to wonder whether Vietnam may be a better option to live. They are changing their laws to allow foreigner ownership of houses and property. 

 

Good post. I've heard the same.

[cheapcanuck]

10 hours 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.
 

But your quick to use TV...which if you haven't noticed is "social media."

[fish monger]

10 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Here we go...

I'm afraid the "here we go", began two years ago...! Many refused to believe it....Guess what...?

[balo]

Another topic and another 10 pages ? Can't you understand this is just another stupid proposal ?  

Any sim card is trackable , they can find you tomorrow if they want. 

 

[malcoml]

Oh and they will be available at the special price of 1000 baht compared to the standard ones available for 100 baht.

[Konaboy1]

Many can just use their hotel phone?

[aquario33]

11 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

OK...your two minors do not arrive home from school. No one you call knows where they are.

 

you don't want emergency services to be able to quickly locate them?

the big question is, if that is ever gonna happen without court order. dont forget the "purpose" of the new sim isnt to be helpful for us.as they never used the technics either for lost phones etc. i doubt it will be used for these situations in our favor.(although it makes sense from our point of view.)

Edited August 10, 2016 by aquario33

[bkkcanuck8]

10 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

OK...your two minors do not arrive home from school. No one you call knows where they are.

 

you don't want emergency services to be able to quickly locate them?

 

You know there are already tracking apps you can install on your children's phones already - you don't need the government.  Also, if this is such a scheme to ensure safety -- why are they making it special to only tourists?  Are Thai children worth less?  Are Thai citizens?  

[Time Traveller]

Guess they finally realized that the 90 day reporting and house reporting is a complete waste of time

[louse1953]

17 hours 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.

You got it.Same in Japan and China,building roads to nowhere.Here they do roads every 2 years,instead of doing it properly the 1 st time.As usual,follow the money.

[louse1953]

17 hours ago, 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 don't believe you.People have been playing games with govt for decades.This is just another game.There is always a way around things.

[louse1953]

17 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Here we go...

Yes,a TVF bonanza.Repeat the same story every few days and get the bedwetters flocking to the keyboards in moral outrage and lining up at the borders to leave.55.

[Jonathan Swift]

I think that if they implement this it will turn out that it won't work like they planned. What are they gonna do, have a war room with a dozen or so specialists tracking people? They ain't the CIA, I don't think they have the skills nor will they easily acquire them. And will their hardware and technology actually function as needed? I also suspect a substantial delay in manufacturing new sim cards, and what about quality and defects/failures? No, not worried

Edited August 11, 2016 by Jonathan Swift
add info

[gk10002000]

18 hours 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.

As is not unusual, following the money is a reasonable place to start.  But do they really think or expect to replace their current SIM cards with these SIM cards?  Some phones and plans simply don't allow that.  Some older folks and phones like mine don't have wifi, or internet or GPS and I have no plans to get any other sort of device (I won't call them phones). 

[gk10002000]

3 hours ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

 

You know there are already tracking apps you can install on your children's phones already - you don't need the government.  Also, if this is such a scheme to ensure safety -- why are they making it special to only tourists?  Are Thai children worth less?  Are Thai citizens?  

They can't install any sort of app on my old cell phone flip top that has no wifi, no internet, no GPS, no Bluetooth etc.  I use it as a phone, voice and text and it is all I need and all I want.  My telecom costs are small.  I have a computer at home and I work in the engineering field at work.  That is all the connectivity I ever wanted or needed

[Baanguru]

On the other hand, they clearly stated that they are not limiting tourists in any way but it is only to locate foreigners in case they need some help of if some tourists are overstaying. It is to properly assist them.