Disconnect mobile subscriber without portrait photo?

Customers take photos to save personal information at Viettel store on the afternoon of April 6.

Done before April 24

The reason this network "threatens" customers is because according to Decree 49/2017/ND-CP of the Government, mobile subscriber information must be accurate and include a portrait photo.

Therefore, “to ensure your rights, please text TTTB to 1414 to check, and bring your ID card or passport to Viettel transaction stores to confirm or supplement information. If you have already done so, please ignore this message.”

Ms. Le Thi Kim, subscriber number 09855... (living in Ho Chi Minh City), shared: Suddenly receiving this message sent to her phone on April 5 made her panic. Then she had to call Viettel switchboard to ask why she had to add information even though her phone number had been used for more than 12 years and had long been declared with correct information according to her ID card. No exception, Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, subscriber number 09670... (living in Ho Chi Minh City), said: "This time I will probably have to go to the store to take pictures because I heard that if I don't have a picture, I can't use my phone anymore. It's a waste of time and effort."

In its announcement, Viettel did not specify the implementation time. However, according to Decree No. 49, for subscribers who activated before April 24, 2017, the network has 12 months to supplement information according to the new regulations. In case individuals and organizations do not comply with the request, the regulation clearly states that one-way telecommunications services will be temporarily suspended after 15 days and two-way telecommunications services will be temporarily suspended after the next 15 days if not implemented.

Thus, by April 24, mobile subscribers who do not provide information will be at risk of having their connection cut off. Viettel said that they are only encouraging customers to go to transaction points to supplement information and photos according to regulations. The solution to suspend the service after April 24 or not is still waiting for instructions from the management agency.

Meanwhile, the remaining carriers such as MobiFone and Vinaphone have not yet made any new announcements. However, over the past time, these units have been implementing the change of information and adding portrait photos of customers as prescribed.

Need to commit to protecting personal information

Figures from the General Statistics Office show that as of the end of March, the total number of mobile phone subscribers in the country was 118.7 million customers. Because the previous regulations did not require the submission of portrait photos, the number of mobile phone customers before April 2017 all fell into a state of not having a photo.

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Son, Head of the Faculty of Economics and Law (Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City), analyzed: Since its promulgation, this regulation has not received the approval of the majority of users. Currently, all information about user identification is available through the ID card. When the state management agency needs it, the ID card number will be presented to the police agency and the full image will be available. Especially in the situation where personal information is easily leaked everywhere on the internet, no one can guarantee the security of hundreds of millions of customers using mobile phones. In fact, no one can be sure that network operators can protect customer data well.

“If full information along with a portrait photo is leaked to a bad person, it will be even more dangerous for customers. Is the network operator’s responsibility clearly stated? If there is a problem, can users sue for compensation? I think this decision is not in line with the nature of normal commercial transactions and if implemented, there should be more clear regulations on the responsibilities of the parties involved,” said Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Son.