The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has met with telecommunications companies (telcos) Thursday to address the public’s data privacy concerns in relation to the implementation of Republic Act No. 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act.
NPC chief John Henry Naga called the meeting to tackle various concerns, including the notices and tick-boxes that may be displayed on the telcos’ websites and mobile applications asking for the users’ permission or consent in using their personal data submitted for marketing, profiling, or sharing with third-parties.
“Telcos must ensure the secure, ethical, and responsible handling of data, especially in all data processing being conducted in compliance with the SIM Registration Act,” Naga said.
“Their obligation to comply with the SIM Registration Act comes hand-in- hand with ensuring that data privacy and protection is upheld. Such includes the implementation of mechanisms that would allow the assurance to its data subjects that the data being collected are for the purposes of the SIM Card Registration,” he added.
During the meeting, Smart Communications Inc., (Smart) clarified that these are just optional and are being included to determine whether the SIM card is being used by an individual or a juridical entity.
Similarly, Globe Telecom (Globe) said the option for their clients to allow the receipt of commercial and promotional alerts, and third-party sharing, among others, were only optional.
For its part, Dito Telecommunity’s (Dito) SIM card registration which can be accessed through its application did not include other tick-boxes asking for consent on marketing, profiling, or sharing with third-party partners.
Based on the proceedings, Naga directed the telcos to include on a separate page the notices and tick-boxes that are not related to SIM card registration, especially those pertaining to data sharing with third-party entities.
He instructed Smart, Globe, and Dito to include modifications and improvements on their websites and applications to further comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The telcos also gave assurance that the users have the option to preclude promotional alerts. The telcos agreed and committed to implementing the changes on its SIM card registration websites and mobileapplications as soon as possible.
The NPC maintained that citizens’ privacy and respect of the rights of mobile users are part of the cornerstones for the successful implementation of SIM card registration. The Commission will continue to closely coordinate with telcos and other stakeholdersfor the proper implementation of the law.
The registration officially commenced on December 27, 2022, marked by numerous issues and concerns from the public including matters relating to terms and conditions, and privacy policies being implemented by the telcos.