Implementing rules to determine ‘reasonable’ ceiling—DICT
How many SIMs can one person own and still be considered “reasonable” under the new SIM Registration Law?
Government authorities will determine this as they hammer out the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the law signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week.
What is clear this early, though, is that there will be a cap per person as the measure seeks to address the deluge of text scams and spams.
“I think it will be in the IRR who will be navigating that area as to how many SIM can be registered under one name,” Department of Information and Communication Technology Assistant Secretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo said in an interview with Teleradyo Saturday.
Lamentillo said there are around 160 million SIMs currently being used by Filipinos.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy earlier said a person can register multiple SIMs, but these would have to be properly identified.
Lamentillo said the registration process will likely be done online.
“We can confirm that already. Our modality will likely have an onsite registration and electronic registration,” she said.
“What we are debating on now is should there be additional requirements [for the registration],” Lamentillo said
“There should be an encryption process so in case there is a cyber attack, the data will remain protected,” she added.
Uy said the IRR will also outline the offenses that will fall under the law.
Section 12 of the SIM Registration Act states that the National Telecommunications Commission, in coordination with the DICT and other agencies and groups, will craft and promulgate an IRR of the measure.
The SIM Registration Act seeks to end crimes using phones, including text and online scams by regulating the sale and the use of SIMs by mandating registration to end-users.
Under this measure, all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) or direct sellers will require the SIM card user to present a valid identification document with a photo.
Information in the SIM card registration will be treated as confidential unless the subscriber authorizes access to his information.
The measure also directs telecommunications companies to disclose the full name and address contained in the SIM card registration upon a duly issued subpoena or order of a court.
Law enforcement agencies that investigate purported crimes committed through phones may also submit a written request to telecommunications providers to disclose the details of the SIM card holder.
The measure is the consolidation of the bills approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc., the country’s two biggest telcos, previously expressed support for SIM registration and vowed to assist the government in deterring crimes committed electronically.
The Philippine National Police also expressed hope that the law’s benefits will outweigh privacy issues and other concerns raised by subscribers.
Data from the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group showed a total of 4,254 SIM card-related offenses from January to September this year.
