The Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act, ratified recently by the Philippine House of Representatives and the Senate, is now awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte amid criticisms that it could be used to undermine the privacy and civil liberties of citizens.
If passed into law, the Act will require the registration of SIM cards prior to their use and activation. The country has more than 120 million total mobile subscribers. Around 95 percent of them use prepaid SIM cards.
The measure will also mandate social media companies to register the real names and phone numbers of individuals creating accounts on their platforms.
Legislators said the Act will “deter the proliferation of SIM card, internet or electronic communication-aided crimes.” In 2020 alone, the police recorded 6,110 cybercrime offenses such as online scams, computer-related identity theft, and phishing. Private telecommunication companies have monitored a higher number of cybercrimes. Globe Telecom, for example, has blocked a total of 1.15 billion scam and spam messages, around 7,000 mobile numbers linked to scammers, and 2,000 unofficial social media accounts and phishing sites in 2021.
Senator Win Gatchalian, one of the authors of the Act, is confident that it will boost business confidence because authorities…
