From now on, prepay cards can only be bought by showing the ID

Mobile telephony users who own or wish to buy a prepay card must show their ID card with the mobile telephony operators, according to a bill approved by the Romanian government, writes Mediafax newswire.

This law will also apply to companies, which must present the company founding papers.

The bill was approved by the government and will be applied after the parliament adopts it.

The current prepay card owners will have six months to register after the law comes into force.

This bill modifies emergency ordinance 111/2011 regarding electronic communications.

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“During the latest session of the Supreme Council for the Country Defence (CSAT), the decision was made to urgently promote a bill to prevent risks against national security. Owners of prepay cards are compelled to register them, by submitting an ID card. Mobile telephony providers also have obligations,” announced Robert Cazanciuc, minister of Justice, quoted by Mediafax.

The minister said that within six months after the law comes into force, all owners of prepay cards must submit an ID card to identify themselves.

In case they fail to do this, the mobile telephony provider is under the obligation to cease the provision of the telephony service until the owner of the card does that.

Mobile telephony providers must notify and inform all prepay card users of this obligation.

In summer 2013, the Romanian media wrote that Social Democrat Party deputy Sebastian Ghita wanted to submit a legal initiative for prepay cards to be acquired only upon the provision of personal data.

Prime MInister Victor Ponta said the recording of phone calls made from prepay cards was decided by CSAT in August 2012 after a terrorist attack in Bulgaria. He said it was not an intercepting operation, but a recording one.

At that date, the bill stipulated that when a person would buy any prepay card, one must present the personal ID code and if later a judge decides in favor of intercepting the number associated with that prepay card, the secret services can identify the owner of the card.

The argument used at that time was that prepay cards are used for economic crime, and they can be used for terrorist activities.

Otilia Haraga