Is the Thai government's application for distributing 10,000 baht to eligible citizens unsafe to use and could it lead to information leaks? No, that's not true: Officials have repeatedly ensured its safety. Government agencies confirmed the application is as safe as other banking applications used in Thailand.
The claim appeared in a video on TikTok posted on August 2, 2024 (archived here), with the following caption (translated from Thai to English by Lead Stories staff):
Digital Wallet registration isn't really safe.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Aug 13 14:52:24 2024 UTC)
In the video, former Member of Parliament Mongkolkit Suksintharanon says the registration to the government-developed digital wallet application "is quite dangerous" as people have to provide personal information such as images of their national identification card, face scans, and passwords. He also claimed more than 20 million people have registered so far.
"If they don't keep your secret well, if they give out our personal information, they can access your bank accounts as well," Mongkolkit continued, as translated by Lead Stories staff, "I don't think it's really safe."
The Thai government's "Digital Wallet" scheme was a campaign promise (archived here) aimed to give 10,000 baht to 50 million citizens to be spent at local businesses, a measure intended to give a boost to the economy, according to its description in an AP article. The online registration for the monetary handout opened on August 1, 2024, through an application called "Tang Rath" ("state" as translated by Lead Stories staff).
According to the program website (archived here), people need national identification numbers, names, birth dates, and an image of their faces to register. They would then be prompted to create a username, password, and PIN to access the account in order to receive the digital wallet stipend.
In response to the security concerns, the Digital Government Development Agency under the Office of Prime Minister said on its website on August 4, 2024 (archived here) that the government needs to be able to verify that the person registering is a real citizen by looking at their face and ID card information to make sure that they match.
The agency said this is a measure called IAL 2.3, a verification technology similar to the one used by banks in Thailand. This measure is also in accordance with the announcement of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (archived here). According to the agency, personal information can only be accessed by state agencies and the owner of the information.
Additionally, the agency ensured that the application doesn't connect with any bank accounts and doesn't store any bank account information.
Rudklao Suwankiri, the deputy government spokesperson, said through the Royal Thai Government website on August 9, 2024 (archived here), that the application is in line with international standards regarding "security, reliability, stability, and continuous serviceability." She also said the government has acknowledged all opinions and taken careful consideration to resolve possible safety concerns.
With former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin removed from office on August 14, 2024 (archived here), the continuation of the cash handout scheme is in limbo. Newly-elected Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra talked about the policy when asked during her first press conference (archived here) on August 18, 2024. She said every policy needs to be discussed with the government coalition first. She added the government still intends to push for a major economic stimulus but needs to "listen to different opinions" on how to best do that.
On August 28, 2024, caretaker Deputy Finance Minister Phaopoom Rojanasakul said at a "Thailand Focus 2024" lecture that the handout will likely continue, but asked that the people wait for the new government's official policy statement that will be read before the Parliament after the Prime Minister and her cabinet are sworn in, according to Bangkok Biz News (archived here). Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the new Prime Minister's father, also said on August 22, 2024, that his daughter will likely continue the plan, Bangkok Post reported (archived here).
At the time of writing, the application remains available on Apple Store and Play Store (archived here and here), and the program website remains operational. The registration period ends on September 15, 2024.
