4 ms·

Thankfully because there's no roaming in the EU, there's absolutely no other way to get an unregistered SIM card to work in Germany..

by 05 11y ago

cm2187 11y ago
If even if there was roaming, there isn't any internet to order foreign SIM cards online.
- cheshire_cat 11y ago
  There are already methods in place to get an anonymous SIM card even if this law gets passed. There is a SIM exchange service run by privacy activists. [0] There are also people that register hundreds of cards on their own name and resell them. This is just another invasion of privacy and not even worth it imho. [0] http://www.daten-speicherung.de/index.php/kartentausch/ http://www.daten-speicherung.de/index.php/kartentausch/
- lukasm 11y ago
  Get a car in Berlin, drive for 1h to the first gas station in Poland. This is yet another stupid law. No problem for bad guys, just hurting legitimate businesses. And obviously no identity theft will happen, since no one ever hacked any provider and you cannot ask a homeless guy to buy you a dozen.
  - skoczymroczny 11y ago
    > drive for 1h to the first gas station in Poland. Not for long http://www.gazetawroclawska.pl/polska-i-swiat/a/koniec-anonimowych-telefonow-na-karte,9784741/ http://www.gazetawroclawska.pl/polska-i-swiat/a/koniec-anoni...
ghshephard 11y ago
Presumably all european nations will harmonize in the next year or two and it will be a requirement to provide government identification prior to purchasing a data SIM.
- icebraining 11y ago
  Why is that presumable?
  - throwaway049 11y ago
    Harmonisation in general is one of the main aims of the EU. I can't comment on the two year timescale though.
  - ghshephard 11y ago
    In general, Europe tries to have consistent policies regarding commercial activity, such as mobile data communications. Otherwise you run into odd arbitrage situations, or scenarios where people dodge legislation/laws in one country simply by hopping across the border, potentially putting businesses at a commercial (dis)advantage based on the country they are in, which is counter to some of the EU objectives. If Germany begins tightening up laws (beyond just ID for SIMs) regarding data communications, but other countries don't, and you can roam your data between them - it creates an incentive for people to just ignore Germany as a supplier, and hop across the border and chose someone more flexible.
    - icebraining 11y ago
      Sure, yet thousands of my compatriots have and continue to travel every month to the neighboring country to fill up their gas tanks, due to much lower fuel taxes. Just because Germany decide to cripple their providers does not necessarily mean the EU will impose the same on every other member state. Besides, what further tightening of laws regarding data communications do you see Germany implementing? I hardly think requiring ID for SIM purchase will be a sufficient incentive to make users lose the advantages of a local phone number, having to figure out a way to credit a foreign pre-paid SIM, etc.
- programLyrique 11y ago
  An ID is required in France (and presumably in other EU countries) to buy a SIM card and has been for some years... and yet no harmonization has taken place.
snowwolf 11y ago
There is roaming in the EU, but it's not cheap - but that is changing very soon https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariffs https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariff... At which point you can just get your anonymous SIM from any EU country that still issues unregistered SIMs. Edit: I may have missed the sarcasm in the parent post..
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  Roaming in the EU is cheap. On pay-as-you-go (prepaid), it's cheaper for me to send a text or make a call from Germany than it is back home here in the UK.
  - snowwolf 11y ago
    Are you sure you're roaming? Or did you buy a pay-as-you-go local SIM? I'm unaware of any provider who actually discounts texts/calls while roaming. Three in the UK charge you the same price in some European countries but that's the best deal I know of. Roaming is using your SIM outside the geographical coverage area of the home network.
    - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
      Yes, I'm roaming. The EU's mandatory maximum 'roaming' prices are lower than the normal prices charged at home. So, when I use my UK Tesco Mobile phone in Germany, things become cheaper.

Thankfully because there's no roaming in the EU, there's absolutely no other way to get an unregistered SIM card to work in Germany..

by 05 11y ago

Thankfully because there's no roaming in the EU, there's absolutely no other way to get an unregistered SIM card to work in Germany..

cm2187 11y ago

If even if there was roaming, there isn't any internet to order foreign SIM cards online.

cheshire_cat 11y ago
There are already methods in place to get an anonymous SIM card even if this law gets passed. There is a SIM exchange service run by privacy activists. [0] There are also people that register hundreds of cards on their own name and resell them. This is just another invasion of privacy and not even worth it imho. [0] http://www.daten-speicherung.de/index.php/kartentausch/ http://www.daten-speicherung.de/index.php/kartentausch/
lukasm 11y ago
Get a car in Berlin, drive for 1h to the first gas station in Poland. This is yet another stupid law. No problem for bad guys, just hurting legitimate businesses. And obviously no identity theft will happen, since no one ever hacked any provider and you cannot ask a homeless guy to buy you a dozen.
- skoczymroczny 11y ago
  > drive for 1h to the first gas station in Poland. Not for long http://www.gazetawroclawska.pl/polska-i-swiat/a/koniec-anonimowych-telefonow-na-karte,9784741/ http://www.gazetawroclawska.pl/polska-i-swiat/a/koniec-anoni...

ghshephard 11y ago

Presumably all european nations will harmonize in the next year or two and it will be a requirement to provide government identification prior to purchasing a data SIM.

icebraining 11y ago
Why is that presumable?
- throwaway049 11y ago
  Harmonisation in general is one of the main aims of the EU. I can't comment on the two year timescale though.
- ghshephard 11y ago
  In general, Europe tries to have consistent policies regarding commercial activity, such as mobile data communications. Otherwise you run into odd arbitrage situations, or scenarios where people dodge legislation/laws in one country simply by hopping across the border, potentially putting businesses at a commercial (dis)advantage based on the country they are in, which is counter to some of the EU objectives. If Germany begins tightening up laws (beyond just ID for SIMs) regarding data communications, but other countries don't, and you can roam your data between them - it creates an incentive for people to just ignore Germany as a supplier, and hop across the border and chose someone more flexible.
  - icebraining 11y ago
    Sure, yet thousands of my compatriots have and continue to travel every month to the neighboring country to fill up their gas tanks, due to much lower fuel taxes. Just because Germany decide to cripple their providers does not necessarily mean the EU will impose the same on every other member state. Besides, what further tightening of laws regarding data communications do you see Germany implementing? I hardly think requiring ID for SIM purchase will be a sufficient incentive to make users lose the advantages of a local phone number, having to figure out a way to credit a foreign pre-paid SIM, etc.
programLyrique 11y ago
An ID is required in France (and presumably in other EU countries) to buy a SIM card and has been for some years... and yet no harmonization has taken place.

snowwolf 11y ago

There is roaming in the EU, but it's not cheap - but that is changing very soon https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariffs https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming-tariff... At which point you can just get your anonymous SIM from any EU country that still issues unregistered SIMs. Edit: I may have missed the sarcasm in the parent post..

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
Roaming in the EU is cheap. On pay-as-you-go (prepaid), it's cheaper for me to send a text or make a call from Germany than it is back home here in the UK.
- snowwolf 11y ago
  Are you sure you're roaming? Or did you buy a pay-as-you-go local SIM? I'm unaware of any provider who actually discounts texts/calls while roaming. Three in the UK charge you the same price in some European countries but that's the best deal I know of. Roaming is using your SIM outside the geographical coverage area of the home network.
  - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
    Yes, I'm roaming. The EU's mandatory maximum 'roaming' prices are lower than the normal prices charged at home. So, when I use my UK Tesco Mobile phone in Germany, things become cheaper.