Thai regulator bans new OPPO, Realme phone sales over embedd...

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has banned the sale of new OPPO and Realme smartphone models found to have pre-installed unauthorized loan applications. The move follows complaints from consumers who discovered the "Fineasy" and "Happy Loan" apps embedded in their devices without their consent and with no option to uninstall them, according to Trairat Viriyasirikul, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of the NBTC. Representatives from Possefy Group Company Limited, the importer and distributor of OPPO phones, and Protha Company Limited, the importer and distributor of Realme phones, were summoned to a meeting with the NBTC to address the issue. The meeting also included representatives from the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) and the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC), and the Ministry of Digi...