BANGKOK, Thailand – The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has contacted Google and Apple over illegal loan applications available through Google Play and Apple’s App Store, seeking cooperation to identify and remove apps operating without the required authorization. The move follows reports of borrowers who downloaded instant-loan apps being required to grant access to personal information stored on their phones, including contact lists, photographs and other data.
Some operators allegedly used this information to publicly shame borrowers by exposing their personal details and photographs, while also making threatening or harassing calls to borrowers and people in their contact lists. The DSI’s Consumer Protection Case Division has sent Google Thailand and Apple South Asia (Thailand) a list of companies authorized by the Bank of Thailand (BOT) to operate digital personal loan businesses. The DSI said only eight private-sector operators currently hold the relevant authorization.
The two technology companies have been asked to use the list to check loan applications on their platforms and remove those that do not belong to the eight authorized operators, helping prevent further consumer harm. The DSI also plans to coordinate with the Bank of Thailand on measures to prevent similar abuses on digital platforms and consider urgent action under the Special Investigation Act B.E. 2547 (2004). The department said the initiative aims to protect consumers from unauthorized lending services and the misuse of their personal data. (TNA)
