Phoning from your mobile anonymously might not be possible in the near future. The Telecommunications Minister, Alexandre De Croo, the Justice Minister, Koen Geens, the IBPT (the regulator) and telecom operators are currently in discussion. They are considering ending the anonymity that comes with a prepaid SIM card, Le Soir reports. Police have been asking for the situation to change for a long time, as they struggle to identify the people who use these telephone numbers during investigations. Koen Geens’ cabinet confirms the Minister supports this idea. This worries human rights defenders. “It invades people’s privacy”, says Wim Debeuckelaere, president of the Privacy Commission. At the end of 2013, 40% of SIM cards being used in Belgium were prepaid cards.
(Source: Belga)
