Beyond an anxious blink, Filipinos may soon start initiating the verification process to complete details of their identity used to register their respective Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).
Before noon Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacanang with lawmakers in attendance led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, signed into law the consolidated measure—approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate—seeking the registration of SIM, aimed at promoting accountability in its use.
We support the SIM Registration Act which seeks to end crimes using the platform including text and online scams by regulating the sale of SIMs through mandating registration for end-users.
An extension of 120 days can be given upon a valid written request to the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
During the registration, users will be asked to fill out a form that will contain their information and present a copy of a valid government ID with a photo.
Meanwhile, data of existing postpaid subscribers will be included in the SIM Register since they have to submit that upon subscription.
For their part, PTEs or public telecommunications entities are given 30 days to submit a list of authorized sellers or dealers to the National Telecommunications Commission, which should be updated quarterly.
Under the law, all PTEs or direct sellers shall require the SIM card user to present a valid identification document with a photo.
Information in the SIM card registration is confidential unless the subscriber authorizes access to his information.
The measure directs telecommunication companies to disclose the registered full name and address upon a duly issued subpoena or order from a court.
Law enforcement agencies investigating crimes committed through mobile phones, meanwhile, may also write a request to the firms to obtain the information of the registered SIM card owner.
Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil has underlined the SIM Card Registration Act aims to provide “accountability in the use of SIM cards and aid law enforcers to track perpetrators of crimes committed through phones.”
It will also “significantly boost government initiatives against scams committed through text and online messages, which have become more prevalent this year.”
The National Privacy Commission also said the SIM Registration Act, when implemented, will “prevent the proliferation of various and evolving electronic communication-aided criminal activities” being committed in anonymity.
A SIM card carries a unique telephone number and stores some personal data. Without it, phone calls cannot be made, text messages cannot be sent and transactions using eCommerce phone apps cannot be established.
We agree with the NPC in its call for ways to prevent data breaches since the mandatory SIM card registration would “entail a massive collection of personal data” which necessitates a technology-neutral approach and to future-proof the legislated law which “respects the rights and freedoms of the data subjects.”
The first step has been made in this zone of crime prevention.