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Scratching out anonymity Gov't proposes to ban anonymous prepaid mobile-phone SIMs
Feb. 24, 2005 Prepaid anonymous SIM cards such as Go, Oskarta and Twist could go the way of the dinosaurs if a parliamentary initiative aimed at cracking down on terrorists and other criminals is successful. Proponents of the measure say the ban would help police -- who are often hampered in their efforts by the anonymous cards -- track down criminals and follows a trend to curb their use across Europe. Mobile-phone companies, however, are unanimous in their ire over the matter, saying such a ban would cause a market shake-up. "We want to prevent people from buying packages of SIM cards from almost any tobacco shop," said Radim Turek, a member of the Chamber of Deputies' Security Committee. The committee appealed to the Cabinet Jan. 27 to draft a new bill by June to ban anonymous SIM cards. "Removing the anonymous cards will be good for the fight against criminals," said Police President Jiri Kolar, adding that the anonymity of callers often frustrated their investigations. Petr Sindler, spokesman for Oskar, one of the country's three mobile-telecommunications providers, said that if passed the proposal would have major implications. "If the proposal became law, it would bring about a real shake-up on the telecommunications market," he said. Of the 10.7 million mobile-phone users in this country, up to 7.5 million own prepaid anonymous SIM cards, according to information from the three mobile telecoms. Should the use of anonymous SIM cards be banned, companies would have to both stop selling prepaid anonymous cards and register existing card users. "We cannot imagine what this would lead to," said Martina Kemrova, spokeswoman for T-Mobile, which markets the Twist prepaid card. "Almost three-quarters of our clients prefer to be anonymous. Actually, customers buy prepaid cards because they do not need to disclose their personal data or sign any contracts. They feel free." Despite mobile companies' concerns, Patria Finance analyst Emilia Zampieri noted a ban would not have much long-term impact. "If the ban came into force, it would affect all [mobile telecom] providers here, so there would be no way for customers to move from one provider to another in order to avoid the ban," Zampieri said. Foreign inspiration The idea to ban prepaid anonymous cards was inspired by similar measures already taken abroad, said Antonin Seda, a Security Committee member and Social Democratic MP. "Should a ban come into force, as it has in Germany, Italy or Great Britain, there would be less need for police wiretappings," Seda pointed out. Since early 2005, around 130 anonymous mobile phones were cut off from service in Switzerland, according to the Swiss attorney general's office. Swiss government officials said the move was in line with the EU's anti-terrorist campaign. Swiss investigators admitted prepaid anonymous SIM cards were used by members of terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. In addition to Germany, Italy and the UK, prepaid anonymous SIM cards have been banned in Slovenia and other countries.
Police President Kolar said prepaid anonymous cards were commonly used by criminals in the Czech Republic. Kolar said gangs of criminals own hundreds of anonymous SIM cards and are therefore difficult for police to track. Oskar's spokesman Sindler countered that removing prepaid cards from the market would not solve the problem for the police. Criminals will find a way to use mobile-phone numbers not belonging to them, he said. Although the deputies called on the Cabinet to draft a new bill that would do away with anonymous cards, there is no consensus among politicians. Information and Technology Minister Vladimir Mlynar said obligatory registration of mobile-phone SIM cards would not ensure identification of the card's actual user. At the same time, Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan said he was against the proposal since the current situation gives people more freedom. "I would keep the status quo, although I know it would be easier for us [to ban the cards]," Bublan said. Frantisek Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com
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The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic. To subscribe to the print paper, click here. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. |