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mikel

Farangs to be tracked via SIM

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The latest cracking idea from the Ministry of Madness is to install SIM cards that will track foreigners so that their movements can be tracked at anytime.Includes resident "aliens".The spokesman assures us that the police will not abuse the system. That's a relief! All starts in six months (presumably a Thai six months so could be anytime or never).

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the question is will it be mandatory to install a sim card. I never use a Thai sim card. I use only Line id/whatsapp. don't feel i need a phone number at all. all communications go through wifi.

From what I read anyone who enters Thailand and uses their own sim card (roaming) will not be tracked in this manner. The little blurb I read was the foreigner SIM card has an on/off switch for tracking the SIM location. This cannot be turned off on these SIMs. However, it is not hard to get the data of what cell towers your phone was logged into and when. Every time you move your phone into a new cell tower it is recorded.

 

IP phone calls such as Skype etc are easily tracked. The only service I know with full encryption from end to end is Whatsapp. While I know text messages are encrypted I'm not sure vioce calls are but probably so as Whatsapp advertises encryption.

 

My bigger worry in all of this is the Thai gov't thinking on bypassing https encryption. I'd have to reconsider living here as online banking etc is based on https security.

 

The western countries are already doing this... they just don't tell you.

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I assumed they (the police) could track anyone already via their mobile number. Can't see AIS etc turning them down when they want to know the whereabouts of whomever.

I was actually wondering why i was asked at the immigration at the airport the 2 last times i was in Los (easter n Mai/june) to write my ph. nr in the immigration form......

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The latest cracking idea from the Ministry of Madness is to install SIM cards that will track foreigners so that their movements can be tracked at anytime.Includes resident "aliens".The spokesman assures us that the police will not abuse the system. That's a relief! All starts in six months (presumably a Thai six months so could be anytime or never).

Will they offer a choice of colours for the collar ?

 

https://tractive.com/shop/en/pet-wearables/1-gps-pet-tracker-9120056450015.html?gclid=CPfko9WmtM4CFUNM2wodHWAMtQ

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I assumed they (the police) could track anyone already via their mobile number. Can't see AIS etc turning them down when they want to know the whereabouts of whomever.

 

anyone can be already trackable. Or, let's say, any SIM card can be tracked through the provider system.

Thai SIM cards are registered.

Foreign' not (still in presence if a crime they can ask the country authorities to provide info, but it is a long and uncertain procedure, unless the crime has an international relevance (=terrorism)

This is often used during crime investigation to see who was in a specific area and then follow their path before or after the crime.

Any SIM card has to be registered to an ID or passport in most of the countries, nowadays.

Filling the form at immigration with a cellular number makes future and possible investigations easier, especially if the SIM card in question is foreign. This way they can possibly match it with the immigration entry name.

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Interestingly, Immigration is rolling out a form that asks a lot of questions. Phone numbers, social media accounts like Line and facebook. What places you frequent. Like 7-11s, bars, temple ..whatever. Parents names too! 5555 Next time I go to Immigration I have to fill one out. For now I use the mail.

 

Wonder just how slow the lines at Swampy will be if they do this upon arrival.

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Interestingly, Immigration is rolling out a form that asks a lot of questions. Phone numbers, social media accounts like Line and facebook. What places you frequent. Like 7-11s, bars, temple ..whatever. Parents names too! 5555 Next time I go to Immigration I have to fill one out. For now I use the mail.

 

Wonder just how slow the lines at Swampy will be if they do this upon arrival.

this will be regarding farangs who live in Thailand not tourists. and this was in a debate since February.

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Interestingly, Immigration is rolling out a form that asks a lot of questions. Phone numbers, social media accounts like Line and facebook. What places you frequent. Like 7-11s, bars, temple ..whatever. Parents names too!

 

 

Considering that many expats are 60 or 70 or even older, this info won't be very valuable unless Thai Immigration authorities have figured out a way to contact mom and dad in the afterlife.

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The original article I saw this on had a lot of comments from regular holidaymakers/travellers (non BM) and a common theme was the perception of LoS as being less welcoming and more of a rip off than ever before. A recent discussion at work (I'm in Sydney) brought up a lot of negative comments albeit mostly re Phuket. Perhaps the military has a brilliant and cunning plan. Let's see.

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In the US they already track everything. The government pretty much has carte blanche to track your every move. They even have fake cell towers which your phones connect to and they just suck up and save all your communications as it passes through. George Orwell was just a few decades off.

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Considering that many expats are 60 or 70 or even older, this info won't be very valuable unless Thai Immigration authorities have figured out a way to contact mom and dad in the afterlife.

Yes..my parents died in 1988. Perhaps they resurfaced in some Thai drama on channel 3.

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Interestingly, Immigration is rolling out a form that asks a lot of questions. Phone numbers, social media accounts like Line and facebook. What places you frequent. Like 7-11s, bars, temple ..whatever. Parents names too! 5555 Next time I go to Immigration I have to fill one out. For now I use the mail.

 

Wonder just how slow the lines at Swampy will be if they do this upon arrival.

the immigration forms for normal tourist entry do not ask all that.

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You can bet somebody will write an app to block this kind of thing, even if the govt. actually can get it working. Especially on Android phones which have an open source software core (Linux). The SIM card, like every other piece of hardware has to go through software to work, and that software can be tinkered with (by anyone with the expertise who cares to) to nullify such invasions of privacy. (It might be a different story with proprietary companies Apple or Nokia, dunno).

 

As usual, the serious criminals will find ways around this first, while the police and end up tracking Joe Tourist through Nana Plaza and into the CIB. And like every other piece of technology, it will be abused to the max (no doubt to enrich the police), but also to stifle political dissent (aka democracy).

 

Even right now, cellphone towers can triangulate your location to within around 50 meters.

Edited by DeepnHard

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Saw it on stick boy

https://www.stickboybangkok.com/opinion/tourists-wont-tracked-special-sim-cards/

 

Like he says lots of ways around it. And a shit idea.

Already on tripadvisor forums the "i dont mind, I am not doing anything wrong" replies have started.

Well for me i would not like to be tracked anymore than I already am !

 

Glad I already have a DTAC sim.

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>>"i dont mind, I am not doing anything wrong"

 

The kind of reply Fascist governments love to hear.

 

Your government is a dominatrix. "You will *always* be doing something wrong, my slave!"

Edited by DeepnHard

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>Glad I already have a DTAC sim.

 

So do I, but I'd expect if this were implemented, your next topup at the 7/11 wouldn't work, and you'd have to go into DTAC for a "new" SIM, "free" of course, including the surveillance.

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Even right now, cellphone towers can triangulate your location to within around 50 meters.

exactly.

This matter, still an idea (from somebody needing to remind the world of his/her existence), is being overhyped.

I would not pay too much attention to it.

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