Thai regulator backs sim card plan to track tourists
Thailand’s telecommunications regulator has approved in principle a plan to issue special sim cards to foreign tourists so they can be tracked via their mobile phones. Officials at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission said the plan would apply to tourists only, backtracking on an earlier announcement that it would cover all foreigners, including residents on long-term visas, the Bangkok Post and other media reported. “We are not limiting any rights. The NBTC has no authority to check on the location of users,” he was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post. “But if tourists commit wrong, or there is a court warrant, we will then forward the warrant to a mobile phone operator and seek cooperation.”
