The NBTC says it will distribute the requisite scanners to SIM card retail outlets ahead of the implementation date. The NBTC has not yet confirmed when or whether pre-existing users of SIM cards will have to re-register their personal biometric details or not.
For Thai citizens, the biometric scans will be linked to the government’s database entries. Foreign tourists buying SIM cards will be subjected to face scans which will then be matched to their passport photographs.
The NBTC conducted a similar campaign a couple of years ago which required people to register their telephone SIM cards with their mobile services supplier. Non-compliance after several deadlines had passed meant the number was permanently disconnected.
According to 12GO ASIA, NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith claims the biometric registration campaign is not designed to track mobile phone usage and users. He says it will improve security for phone and online transactions and also stop terrorists in Southern Thailand from using mobile phones as bomb detonators.
Thailand to introduce biometric checks for purchase of SIM cards
News in Asia
With effect from the 15 December, buying a new mobile telephone SIM card in Thailand is going to require the purchaser to give their biometric details. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) says the checks will come in the form of digital scans of fingerprints or faces.