Government considers tracking foreigner with QR codes.

[centurion]

Soon maybe a nice addition to immigration procedures: QR surveillance codes for foreigners

The underlying reason is enlightening: "... is in line with Jokowi’s Nawacita, a nine-point development program in which the government strives to enforce immigration laws more strictly to boost foreign direct investment. "

Immigration office awaits Jokowi's approval to track foreigners using QR codes

The Immigration Directorate General is waiting for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s approval to launch a surveillance system it is developing to track foreigners in Indonesia.

www.thejakartapost.com

 

[Ruserious]

Soon maybe a nice addition to immigration procedures: QR surveillance codes for foreigners

Wow thats scary and even worse they want to involve regional heads and RTs. The potential for misuse of this info is huge....why the hell should an RT get to track what i am doing.

I wonder which government genius thinks that this can help boost fdi.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

"The QR code will later be attached to foreigners' passports or visas and detect their movement by tracking their transactions in public facilities, such as hotels and restaurants, and ticket purchases for public transportation. The QR code system will be introduced to public service offices so that immigration authorities can monitor their movement."

I'm not sure if that is one of those joke proposals that crop up here from time to time, but speaking as someone who has been to North Korea, and I can say this system is more restrictive than what I experienced in North Korea.
And if you have some QR code app forceably installed on your phone, the easiest thing is just to leave that phone at your registered address all the time, and use another one for daily life. Also I'm struggling to think how this attracts either tourists or businesses. Anyway I'm sure (almost sure) it's not serious.

 

[R Cameron]

Soon maybe a nice addition to immigration procedures: QR surveillance codes for foreigners

Immigration office awaits Jokowi's approval to track foreigners using QR codes

The Immigration Directorate General is waiting for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s approval to launch a surveillance system it is developing to track foreigners in Indonesia.

www.thejakartapost.com

I highly doubt that will ever happen, at least not in the way described where it would be used in restaurants and common interactions. Hotels are already required to report to immigration the stays of all foreign guests, so it could actually simplify that process for them, and a QR code for each foreigner when interacting with official government business (taxes, permits, driver's license, etc) would not be objectionable to me, since those already require seeing my passport and possibly taking a photocopy, a QR code could simplify that as well.

 

[centurion]

I highly doubt that will ever happen, at least not in the way described where it would be used in restaurants and common interactions. Hotels are already required to report to immigration the stays of all foreign guests, so it could actually simplify that process for them, and a QR code for each foreigner when interacting with official government business (taxes, permits, driver's license, etc) would not be objectionable to me, since those already require seeing my passport and possibly taking a photocopy, a QR code could simplify that as well.

As the Indonesian bureaucracy is inefficient, hopefully, it will not happen.

However, the idea is, as I understand, to track foreigners in real-time (or almost in real-time). If it is on the mobile phone, it will be in real-time.

 

[dafluff]

There is only one way this plays out in Indonesia:

1) The project will be approved.
2) They will spend billions, possibly trillions of rupiahs developing the system.
3) It will get used about 2 weeks before everything falls apart.
4) We will learn that procurement costs were less than 20% of the actual budget and most of the money went to people in various positions in government and parliament.
5) Back to status quo.

See also: e-KTP, SIM simulator.

 

[R Cameron]

As the Indonesian bureaucracy is inefficient, hopefully, it will not happen.

However, the idea is, as I understand, to track foreigners in real-time (or almost in real-time). If it is on the mobile phone, it will be in real-time.

Take a look at the contact tracing app Indonesia has developed for Covid tracing. It requires the phone and app to be open, screen on, the whole time for it to work they are actually suggesting people turn their brightness down, set the screen to stay on, and put it in their pocket that way.

 

[godmachine12]

Take a look at the contact tracing app Indonesia has developed for Covid tracing. It requires the phone and app to be open, screen on, the whole time for it to work they are actually suggesting people turn their brightness down, set the screen to stay on, and put it in their pocket that way.

Wow…just wow.

 

[Samoerai]

I'm not sure if that is one of those joke proposals that crop up here from time to time

Well, it is almost April 1 ...