The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is studying whether it has the authority to inspect pre-installed applications on imported mobile devices sold in Thailand, says its chairman.
Under NBTC regulations, the agency can only inspect technical standards, such as whether a device is harmful to users’ health or poses signal interference risk, Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck said on Tuesday.
The NBTC is studying whether it can revise the regulations to empower it to check imported mobile devices for other issues related to software and operating systems, he said.
He made the comments after the Chinese smartphone brands Oppo and Realme announced that pre-installed lending apps would be removed from all models following a public outcry over data privacy.
The Fineasy app came installed with the operating system on the companies’ phones and could not be uninstalled by users. It is capable of sending loan invitations and accessing users’ personal data, including their contact lists and phone numbers, the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) said.
The NBTC on Monday called all related parties to clarify the situation. Participants included Possefy Group, an importer of Oppo smartphones, and Protha Co, an importer of Realme devices.
Representatives of the importers said Fineasy was not licensed as a personal loan service provider under Bank of Thailand regulations, according to Trairat Viriyasirikul, the NBTC acting secretary-general.
Pol Col Suraphong Plengkham, director of the inspection and supervision division of the Personal Data Protection Commission, said the smartphone brands were at high risk of breaching the Personal Data Protection Act, given that the app collects a lot of personal data.
Oppo and its subsidiary Realme issued separate statements on Tuesday apologising to consumers. They said Fineasy would not be pre-installed on any new models starting immediately. They will also release an operating system update on Thursday that would delete Fineasy from the phones of existing users.