Marcos to sign mandatory SIM card registration bill into law on Monday
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will sign a proposal for mandatory SIM card registration into law on Monday, October 10, the Office of the Press Secretary said in a release to media on Sunday.
The measure, passage of which was helped along by public concern over scam and spam messages being sent over SMS, will require public telecommunications entities and direct sellers of SIM cards to only sell cards to people who will present a valid photo ID.
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The law will require telecommunications companies to make SIM card registration information like full names and addresses available when ordered by a court or requested in writing by law enforcement agencies.
"President Marcos' decision to approve the measure will significantly boost government initiatives against scams committed through text and online messages, which have become more prevalent this year," the Office of the Press Secretary said.
The ceremonial signing will be held Monday at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañang and will be attended by top officials from the Senate and the House of Representatives.
A similar measure was vetoed by then President Rodrigo Duterte in April because of concerns over privacy and freedom of expression rights that a provision requiring the registration of social media accounts might threaten. The current versions of the SIM Card registration bills did not contain provisions on social media registration.
But IT experts and ICT rights advocates have also raised concerns over SIM Card registration itself, saying it could intrude on users' privacy and might not be effective in deterring scams through text messages or crimes using mobile phones.
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"SIM registration has the potential to put the security, privacy, and welfare of citizens at risk. Experiences from other developing countries and the European Union show that SIM card registration may pose more risks than benefits to citizens," cybersecurity policy analyst Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, told Philstar.com in February.
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