Globe Telecom Inc. remains committed to the implementation of the SIM Registration Act, saying there should be an official ID data to allow telecom companies to properly verify the identities of registrants.
This after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) called on telcos for the stricter implementation of the SIM Registration Act, following the discovery of “pre-registered” SIM cards being sold through social media channels.
Froilan Castelo, Globe’s general counsel, said in a statement on Monday there should be an official ID database from which telcos can verify the identity of registrants, such as the National ID, Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System and the like.
“Globe has been strictly implementing the provisions of the SIM Registration Act, including accepting only the required identification cards, investing in software to help in reading the text on identification cards and facial recognition to ensure these are real people. However, there is no way for us to determine with 100 percent certainty if the identity is fake without a database from which we can validate the identity,” Castelo said.
Globe said it has been proactively asking for access to an official ID database from the government since 2023 to strengthen the current verification process.
Since December 2023, Globe has upgraded its subscriber identity module (SIM) registration platform with optical character recognition and data-matching capabilities, along with a mandatory selfie requirement to weed out fraudulent submissions.
“However, there are still criminals who are able to bypass this by using someone’s identity and then selling these registered SIM cards to scammers,” Castelo said.
Selling or purchasing registered SIMs is illegal. Section 11 of the SIM Registration Act imposes penalties, including imprisonment of six months to six years and/or fines ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.
Globe reminds customers to register only their own SIMs under their names, with the exception of SIMs used by their minor children or other underaged SIM users under their care.
