President Marcos signed on Monday Republic Act 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module Card Registration Law, which requires all mobile phone users to register their SIM cards. This is meant to curb mobile phone scams and other crimes.
In his speech at the signing ceremony, Marcos congratulated the 19th Congress for passing the new measure, which he said will help authorities go after unscrupulous parties using mobile phones for illegal activities. “The legislation is going to be welcomed by many of our people, especially now with reports of the commission of various crimes using mobile phones. We will soon be able to provide law enforcement agencies with the tools needed to resolve crimes perpetrated with the use of these SIM cards, as well as providing a strong deterrence against the commission of wrongdoing,” the President said.
One of the main concerns against the SIM card registration law is the possibility of a data breach, as it requires consumers to register personal information—their full name, complete address, date of birth, sex, cellphone number and the SIM card serial number.
Senator Grace Poe, the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services who sponsored the measure in the Senate, said the law has instituted sufficient safeguards that accord primacy to consumers’ right to privacy to ensure a safe and secure mobile use in the country.
“Any information obtained in SIM registration will be treated as confidential and cannot be disclosed, except in compliance with any law authorizing such disclosure or in adherence to a court order or legal process upon finding of probable cause,” the senator said. She added that breach of data and violation of the law will be meted with “heavy penalties.”
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) said in a statement that it supports the intention of the SIM Card Registration measure to prevent the proliferation of various electronic communication-aided criminal activities.
The NPC recommended that the burden to determine the SIM card buyer’s identity should not fall on retailers who may not have the necessary know-how or resources to properly verify the identity of data subjects and the authenticity of the identification cards that will be presented. This proposal was adopted in the new law.
The NPC also discouraged the use of a centralized server or database as it carries greater risks if a security breach occurs. This recommendation was adopted in Section 6 of the Bill, which requires that the designated government agencies or public telecommunications entities maintain their own databases. The PTE must strictly use the database to process, activate, or deactivate a SIM or subscription, and not for any other purpose.
The country’s three telecommunications providers lauded the signing of the SIM registration bill into law. But to make the new law work in favor of consumers, they raised certain issues that need to be addressed.
Smart Communications Inc. Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs Roy D. Ibay asked the government for “more time to prepare for SIM registration.” He said “an information campaign on the SIM registration process will be launched and Smart will ensure to provide its prepaid customers a smooth and hassle-free experience upon registry of their SIMs.”
Globe Telecom Inc. General Counsel Froilan M. Castelo said the law should be placed above a foundation made by a “verifiable and fool-proof identification system,” which will hinder subscribers from submitting falsified identification documents. “For this reason, our position has been clear from the beginning, a national ID system must be in place to ensure the safe and successful implementation of this new law,” he said.
Dito Telecommunity Corp. Chief Technology Officer Rodolfo D. Santiago echoed Castelo’s statements, saying it will greatly help if both the national ID system and the passport system will be used as the validation of the identity of the subscriber.
We believe the SIM registration law will help build consumer and business confidence to engage productively in the digital economy. It would do well for the government to fast track the implementation of a single national identification system for all citizens as spelled out under Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act. This will help strengthen the validation of people’s identity under the SIM registration law.