AIS fires employee for selling phone records

Visitors are entering the office of Advanced Info Service Plc on Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok. The mobile phone giant fired an employee on Tuesday for selling a client's phone records. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)

Mobile phone giant Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS) fired an employee on Tuesday for selling a client's phone records, including the user's locations and incoming and outgoing calls, while the national telecom regulator thinks its management deserves punishment as well.

AIS senior vice-president Wilai Kiangpradoo confirmed the dismissal, saying the data leakage violated the company's important policy on clients' privacy and safety. The company was also taking legal action against the staff member.

"The company has not found out the motivation of the staffer and is waiting for police's investigation," she said.

The affected client complained on the popular pantip.com community website on Monday that she was shocked after receiving from another person an Excel file containing the phone logs -- incoming and outgoing call numbers, and locations of the phone number she subscribed for her husband.

She also claimed the employee had done so for kickbacks for at least 2-3 years and that she was not the only victim.

Earlier, she contacted the AIS call centre and its branch but did not receive proper help.

Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, said on Tuesday that the affected client should also file a complaint with the commission's office because the commission had a regulation requiring every telecommunications operator to protect customers' personal data.

An operator violating the regulation was liable to imprisonment of up to five years, he said.