People's Party Explains ID Back Number Requirement, Questions Critics' Motives

Matichon•Politics•1d ago

Reader Briefing

People's Party clarifies its membership application process requires the Laser ID from the back of national ID cards for verification with the Department of Provincial Administration, not for data storage, amidst criticism.

•The People's Party mandates applicants provide the Laser ID from the back of their national ID card in addition to the 13-digit number.
•The party states this is a requirement from the Department of Provincial Administration to verify accurate registration and ensure applicants are real citizens.
•The party's leader, Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut, denies collecting sensitive personal data that could lead to leaks.
•Nattaphong also addressed criticism from former MP Thisana Choonhavan, questioning her motives and denying accusations of 'io orange' operations.

Overview

•On February 16, Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, stated that the party requires the 'Laser ID' from the back of national ID cards due to verification procedures with the Department of Provincial Administration.
•The Laser ID is requested to confirm the accuracy of membership applications and transactions, ensuring they comply with the Election Commission's requirements and that applicants are genuine citizens.
•Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut asserted that the party does not store this back-of-card data in its own database, emphasizing it is only used for verification via the Department of Provincial Administration's API.
•Nattaphong suggested that critics like Thisana Choonhavan should direct their questions to the Department of Provincial Administration regarding the API functionality.
•A party representative has spoken with Thisana Choonhavan, although Nattaphong has not spoken directly with her yet, to address her criticisms.
•Nattaphong questioned the motives behind Thisana Choonhavan's statements, urging a dual perspective on the expressed opinions.
•Nattaphong denied the People's Party engages in 'io orange' information operations, clarifying they employ Social Monitoring or Social Listening teams to track online opinions, not to distort information.
•Nattaphong categorically denied having a special task force to distort information or influence public opinion through actions like responding to comments with incorrect information.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut

"We confirm we are not collecting any data that creates a risk of personal data leakage. Requesting the number on the back of the citizen ID card is in accordance with the Department of Provincial Administration's open channel for verifying accuracy."

เรายืนยันว่าเราไม่ได้มีการเก็บข้อมูลอะไรที่ทำให้เกิดความเสี่ยง ต่อการรั่วไหลของข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล การขอเลขหลังบัตรประชาชนเป็นไปตามกรมการปกครอง เปิดช่องทาง เพื่อยืนยันความถูกต้อง

Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut

"We use it for verification with the Department of Provincial Administration. I want everyone to inquire with the Department of Provincial Administration about the channel called API, which allows various agencies like the People's Party to check. They require the Laser Code for verification."

เราใช้ในการไปยืนยันกับกรมการปกครอง อยากให้ทุกคนไปสอบถามกับกรมการปกครอง ช่องทางที่เรียกว่า API ที่เปิดให้หน่วยงานต่าง ๆ เช่น พรรคประชาชน เข้าไปตรวจสอบเขาต้องการ Laser Code ไปยืนยัน

Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut

"But what we have might be a team called Social Monitoring or Social Listening, to follow opinions on social media, but not a special task force set up to try and distort information."

แต่สิ่งที่เรามีอาจจะมีทีมที่เรียกว่า Social Monitoring หรือ Social Listening จริง เพื่อติดตามความเห็นในสื่อสังคมออนไลน์ แต่ไม่ได้มีหน่วยงานเฉพาะกิจที่ตั้งขึ้นมาเพื่อพยายามบิดเบือนข้อมูลข่าวสาร

Key Entities

Person

Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut(นายณัฐพงษ์ เรืองปัญญาวุฒิ)

Leader of the People's Party, who addressed the controversy surrounding membership application requirements.

Thisana Choonhavan(นางสาวธิษะณา ชุณหะวัณ)

Former Member of Parliament and critic of the People's Party, who has raised concerns about the party's data collection practices.

Organization

People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)

Political party whose membership application process is under scrutiny for requiring sensitive personal information.

Department of Provincial Administration(กรมการปกครอง)

Government agency that reportedly provides an API for verifying citizen data, which the People's Party utilizes.

Election Commission(กกต.)

Regulatory body whose requirements the People's Party claims to adhere to in its membership application process.

Place

Ratchada Criminal Court(ศาลอาญารัชดาฯ)

Location where Nattaphong Rueangpanyawut gave his statement.