THE Senate yesterday unanimously passed on third and final reading a proposed measure requiring the registration of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards in a bid to eradicate mobile phone-aided terrorism and other criminal activities.
Senate Bill 2395, otherwise known as the SIM Card Registration Act, provides that all SIM card subscribers with active services should register with their public telecommunications entity (PTE).
It would be the job of the PTE to forward to the databases of the Department of Information and Communication and the National Telecommunication Commission the registration numbers.
Failure to do so within a year from the effectivity of the measure would authorize telecommunication firms to automatically deactivate the SIM card number. If the PTE fails to do their job, they will be fined P100,000.
A fine of P200,000 will be imposed on a PTE or an employee who discloses the confidential information of mobile phone users without an order from the court.
The unauthorized sale of registered SIM cards could result to imprisonment ranging from six months to 12 years and a fine of P200,000.
The House of Representatives, voting 181-6-0, also passed on third and final reading a counterpart measure last December 6.
The measure also has a provision that would mandate social media platforms to require “real-name and phone number upon creation of (an) account” in a bid to curb the proliferation of online trolls, a provision introduced by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.
Drilon said with this proposal, online trolls may soon have to contend with penalties ranging from imprisonment of up to 12 years or a P200,000 fine, or both. He said this will also be imposed against those who use “fictitious identities” to register their SIM cards.
“This new provision will prevent anyone from making anonymous accounts online. We have to cure trolls that are spreading as fast as the virus that we are battling today,” Drilon said in a statement.
Sen. Grace Poe, the sponsor of the bill, said it would provide another layer of “security” against terrorists and criminals.
She assured the public that the bill will protect their right to privacy, adding any information obtained in the registration process will be treated as confidential in accordance with the Data Privacy Act.
“As a champion of privacy rights, we have ensured that the measure was crafted in a manner that accords the highest respect for the Filipinos’ right to confidentiality. Such right is sacred now, and it will remain as such even after this bill becomes law and is enforced,” Poe said in a statement.
NTC Commissioner Raymund Liboro had earlier said the mandatory SIM card registration will succeed only under a framework of guaranteed privacy protection for mobile users.
