Illegal SIM cards
Illegal SIM cards should be identified and seized immediately and the people involved in this malpractice should be brought to justice
That the police Wednesday seized around one lakh illegal SIM cards of mobile phone operator Airtel with false biometric and owner information is a disturbing piece of news. It has caused serious concern among the subscribers over possible misuse of biometric data. The seizure that came in the hot heels of a series of allegations over false biometric verification of SIM cards and their misuse should not be taken lightly.
What is surprising is that some top officials of Airtel were also involved in the illegal SIM registration racket. These SIMs were registered by illegally collecting and storing fingerprints of different mobile phone subscribers when they came to complete the biometric registration process for their own SIMs following government instructions.
There is no dearth of fraudsters in the country. They always look for chances to cheat people and reap the benefits. The security of the genuine SIM card holders looks very vulnerable after the seizure of the illegal SIM cards. The government will also be deprived of substantial amounts of revenue due to the illegal use of SIM cards.
Considering the security of the state and the individuals, the government made biometric registration of SIM cards mandatory. But now it seems that there are still a huge number of illegal SIM users in the country. The outsmarting and outmaneuvering of the state mechanism by a few tricksters is really unfortunate, to say the least. Taking advantage of it the criminals will carry on nefarious activities. Technology is used for the advancement of a country but its misuse can bring disaster.
If this malpractice with SIM cards goes on, it may jeopardise the security of the individuals and help spurt in criminal activities. It is high time for the government, particularly the BTRC authorities, to launch massive surveillance against this malpractice. The illegal SIM cards should be identified and seized immediately and the people involved in this malpractice should be brought to justice.
The technology that is being used for illegal use of SIM cards should also be brought under surveillance. If needed, helps of foreign IT experts may be sought. There should not be any compromise where the security of the state and the individuals is concerned. The mobile phone service providers and the members of the law enforcement agencies must play their due roles in this regard.
