Come February, if you need a SIM card, you will be asked to give your fingerprint, as the NBTC presses its much-criticised mobile banking scheme.

When you buy a SIM card, you will be fingerprinted, as part of govt mobile banking scheme.

MOBILE PHONES, BANKING & SECURITY

Fingerprints to be required for all mobile phone users

28/11/2016

Komsan Tortermvasana

Starting in February, you will be fingerprinted when you buy both pre-paid and post-paid SIM cards for your mobile phone.

The idea behind the system is to use SIM cards as a sort of personal ID.

The fingerprint of the person who has the SIM card in their phone should match the fingerprint of the SIM card in the government database.

Every mobile phone owner's fingerprint will be stored in a national database maintained by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) ,the telecommunications regulator.

No indication yet has been given on whether other government agencies will have access to this database or on measures to protect privacy.

EXISTING SIM CARD OWNERS URGED TO PARTICIPATE

People who already own SIM cards will only be fingerprinted voluntarily but they are being urged to participate:

"We urge all mobile users to participate in the system to ensure greater security of the mobile banking channel and prevent the risk of fraud, which is likely to increase in a cashless society," said NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith.

Beginning next February, fingerprint verification will be needed for mobile SIM card registration. (Photo by Srisamorn Phoosupanusorn)

MOBILE BANKING ON THE RISE IN THAILAND

Mobile banking is on the rise in Thailand and becoming more popular.

Mobile banking allows customers to conduct some financial transactions remotely using any mobile device, with no bank account required.

The service is provided by banks and other financial institutions as well as mobile operators.

Thailand currently has 103 million mobile subscribers, 14 million of whom use mobile banking services.

CUSTOMER FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION FOR MOBILE BANKING

Mobile operators will develop an application that verifies customers' fingerprints.

There will be verification that a person using a SIM card is the same person as the person who bought the SIM card.

Casual switching of SIM cards between family members or friends, as some people typically do, may now pose problems.

INTERNET & MOBILE PHONE BANKING FRAUD

While mobile banking is rising in popularity, fraud and other criminal acts targeting telecommunication networks are also becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The regulator NBTC's concern over fraud follows several cases of fraud committed through mobile banking apps over the past several months.

The NBTC's telecom committee approved the plan to use a fingerprint registration system in September.

Mr Takorn said the NBTC adopted the fingerprint system which was developed by the Engineering Faculty of Kasetsart University.

The school won an auction held by the NBTC this month offering to supply the system for 15 million baht.

UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUNDS TO SUBSIDISE FINGERPRINT SYSTEMS

The new fingerprint systems would allegedly not create a financial burden on mobile operators.

The investment in a fingerprint system can be deducted as a business expense from the universal service obligation (USO) fee operators pay annually to the NBTC.

Telecom operators have to share 5% of their total revenue with the NBTC.

Of the total, 3.5% is paid for the USO fee and the remaining 1.25% goes to the licensing fee.

The purpose of the universal service obligation (USO) fees is to make mobile phone services available universally, especially in low-income and rural areas.

How deductions for fingerprint systems furthers those goals was not explained.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1146145/fingerprint-id-set-to-be-mandatory