PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Some SIM card retailers are worried their sales will drop due to the government's strict SIM card policy introduced Tuesday. Under the new measures, telecom companies will be required to cancel unregistered SIM cards by December 23, and retailers could be jailed if they fail to register new customers.
Government officials say the new policy is aimed at curbing terrorism and drug trafficking, while some nongovernmental organizations say it could be used to reduce freedom of speech and give the government greater power to monitor dissidents. “This identification requirement would give government officials the ability to easily identify, locate and arrest individuals who express critical opinions online,” said Pa Nguon Teang, the executive director of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media.
Officials from the National Police and Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications announced the new policy in a press release Tuesday, with the law going into effect immediately. Telecom companies are now required to register all new SIM cards sold, and cancel any SIM cards left unregistered within three months.
More Paperwork?
Between 2013 and 2014 retailers were not required to register new SIM card purchases with some mobile service providers. Vutha Soriya, who has sold SIM cards and second-hand phones next to Soriya Mall for eight years, said he worries that the regulations will hurt his business. “It will decrease my sales, because it requires a lot of paperwork when someone buys a SIM card.”
Smart Axiata CEO Thomas Hundt, however, said his company already registers its customers. “The requirement to have identities registered is nothing new,” Mr. Hundt said. “Smart's dealers and distributors are requested to obtain the identity and pass it on to Smart for insertion into the database.”
The new directive will help ensure that all SIM card vendors get identification before handing over a SIM card. “Though we have observed some dealers have not strictly adhered to this policy, the [new SIM card directive] aims to ensure full adherence,” Mr. Hundt said.
Mr. Teang said that the difficulty of getting an ID card in Cambodia could also make it difficult for people to register to purchase a SIM card. “All Cambodians have the right to use mobile devices to communicate and access information,” he said, “and to terminate individuals' phone numbers simply because they lack the resources to jump through all the hoops needed to receive government-issued identification documents is a violation of their rights.”
Government officials said the new policy is aimed at protecting national security. In the press release they said that terrorists, drug traffickers, and human traffickers have taken advantage of the country's lax SIM registration policy, and have used cell phones to organize criminal activities.
“The mobile operators didn't save the identities of their users, which makes it very complicated for the police to search for suspects,” the press release said.
Smart Axiata, however, already has a database of its customers. “The directive is nothing new. It was always the requirement to register identity when customers buy the SIM card and in Smart's distribution process the identity registration part is integral,” Mr. Hundt said. “We will – like we always do with our processes – strive to make the process even more efficient and flawless to ensure the logistics are manageable, irrespective of the location of the point of sales.”
Following Thailand
Cambodia is not the first country in the region to introduce SIM card registration requirements this year. Thailand introduced similar measures in February, requiring anyone purchasing a SIM card to register their personal information by July 31. The Bangkok Post reported that the registration requirement was aimed at preventing people from using cell phones to remotely detonate bombs.
Mr. Soriya, the SIM card salesman, feels that the new regulations will benefit national security. “It is good that they are asking the customers to give ID to purchase a SIM card, because otherwise the customers might use the SIM cards to do something bad,” he said. But he added that the law on registering new SIMs has been inconsistent. “Between 2013 and 2014 we didn't have to register new SIM cards,” he said.
Retailers will not be directly responsible for forwarding the identification information to the government. They will send the identification information to all mobile service providers.
Despite government assurances that the policy will only be used against terrorists and drug runners, some NGOs have expressed concerns about the timing of the directive. Its announcement comes on the heels of several arrests of people – including an opposition senator – over Facebook posts critical of the government. “The fact that this announcement comes at a time when the government is in the middle of a crackdown in online free expression makes the motives of this requirement highly suspect,” said Mr. Teang.
For Mr. Hundt, however, the directive is not menacing. “As said, the directive is nothing new. Smart always required customers to register their identity when buying a SIM card,” he said, adding that the industry would work together with regulatory bodies to ensure they were complying with the directive.