Security concerns: Lebanon enhances mobile line verification to curb illegal Syrian migration

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi
 
Recently, discussions began between security officials, the Telecommunications Ministry, and mobile companies Alfa and Touch about the necessity of securing a system to verify the authenticity of documents submitted by Lebanese and foreigners to obtain mobile lines, ensuring they are free from forgery.

Following a parliamentary recommendation to regulate Syrian migration, complemented by a similar government plan, the Telecommunications Ministry decided to accelerate its efforts to ensure national security.  

Minister Johnny Corm convened with security and technical officials to agree on purchasing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. This AI-powered program will be integrated with mobile companies to verify the authenticity of documents submitted for obtaining mobile lines.

In Lebanon, there are approximately 828,000 active mobile lines held by resident Syrians, distributed as follows:

- 441,932 lines on Alfa

- 386,164 lines on Touch

These represent about 20% of the lines on the network.

So, what Will Happen?
 
Within two months of purchasing the software (a tender prepared by the Telecommunications Ministry is expected to be finalized soon), Syrians will receive SMS messages on their lines requesting them to present the documents based on which they obtained these lines. 

If they do not comply, their lines will be cut off. Those found to have submitted forged documents will also have their lines cut. If there are errors or missing documents, they will be asked to complete them, and failure to do so will result in disconnection if their residency status is found to be illegal.

Minister Johnny Corm presented this issue at the latest Cabinet meeting and received approval from the Prime Minister to proceed. 

He told LBCI that this measure would facilitate the implementation of plans to regulate the presence of illegal Syrian residents in Lebanon, urging each minister to work within their jurisdiction to address this issue.