NTC, cellphone firms take steps vs malicious text messaging

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) together with Globe Telecom and Smart Communications Inc. have agreed on several measures to minimize the spread of malicious information through text messaging.

First in the agenda is the massive information drive on responsible texting which the two companies together with their respective subsidiaries, Isla Communications Co. (Islacom) and Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel), have already embarked upon.

In addition, the firms will create so-called call centers to handle inquiries on sensitive news being sent via text messaging.

At the same time, NTC deputy commissioner Nestor Dacanay announced that they have signed a memorandum of agreement with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas (KBP), the umbrella organization of all television and radio stations, to ensure that text messages which have a strong political and economic impact, as well as those which involve public safety, could be verified immediately before they can cause much damage.

For their part, the four carriers said that they are currently working with the NTC to find solutions to the problem.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Vicente Rivera Jr., however, admitted that it is not possible to trace the origin of any text message based on a recent inspection conducted by the NTC on the central switching centers of Smart and Globe.

The procedure in handling text messages, he said, is complicated since such messages are first stored in digital format at the servers and are forwarded to the addresses when lines are ready.

The messages, though, are deleted after being forwarded to the addresses and the only data left in the records are the cellular phone numbers of the senders and receivers, the date and time the messages were sent and the numbers of messages sent, he explained.

But while it is technically impossible to maintain records of the messages sent through short message service (SMS), Rivera said that it is impractical to monitor all text messages considering the volume, which is millions of messages sent per hour.

At least 20 million messages are delivered daily, making the Philippines the texting capital of the world.

Monitoring and maintaining records of messages may also infringe into the right of individuals to private communication, he added.

The concern by the DOTC and the cellular phone operators stemmed from the series of text messages that have circulated in the past two months, first involving the alleged death of Pope John Paul II and the more recent ones, regarding the impending closure of several banks which caused panic among depositors.