Telcos told to put marketing options on separate page in SIM card reg portals
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 1:40 p.m.) — The National Privacy Commission has directed telecommunications companies to put options and tick boxes not related to SIM card registration on a separate page in telco registration portals over concerns that these were being used for marketing purposes unrelated to the law.
In a release Friday, the NPC said it had met with representatives from Smart Communications Inc., Globe Telecom and Dito Telecommunity over tick boxes that were included in SIM card registration portals.
Social media users had pointed out that SIM card owners might not notice that they were opting in to data and information sharing that telcos could send to third-party partners.
READ: 'Mandatory SIM card registration puts privacy at risk, might not curb crime'
According to the NPC release, Smart clarified that the tick boxes are optional "and are being included to determine whether the SIM card is being used by an individual or a juridical entity." Globe also said that its tick boxes were options.
"Dito Telecommunity’s (Dito) SIM Card Registration which can be accessed through its application did not include other tick-boxes asking for consent on marketing, profiling, or sharing with third-party partners," the NPC also said.
"Telcos must ensure the secure, ethical, and responsible handling of data, especially in all data processing being conducted in compliance with the SIM Registration Act," Privacy Commissioner John Henry Naga said in the release.
He said that firms' "obligation to comply with the SIM Registration Act comes hand-in-hand with ensuring that data privacy and protection is upheld.
READ: 'Selfie verification a possible privacy violation, not part of SIM registration law'
Such includes the implementation of mechanisms that would allow the assurance to its data subjects that the data being collected are for the purposes of the SIM Card Registration."
Users registering through the telco portals are asked to fill out a form, upload a scan or photo of a government ID, and upload a selfie photo for verification.
In a separate release, the NPC reminded telcos that "the processing involved in selfie verification should pass the general data privacy principles of transparency, legitimate purpose, proportionality, and all other data privacy safeguards in the law."
Congress quickly passed bills for SIM card registration in September, saying the measure would prevent scam and spam texts that many Filipinos had been receiving while deliberations on registration were ongoing.
SIM card registration, touted by lawmakers as a solution to mobile phone-based crimes and scams, has raised concerns over privacy and surveillance.
SIM card registration began this week, with telcos and the Department of Information and Communications Technology asking the public for patience as portals were overwhelmed by users trying to register.
In a separate release on Thursday, Sen. Nancy Binay suggested that telcos and the government put up kiosks to help mobile phone users register their SIM cards.
"Maybe we can look at the COVID vaccination centers that local government units put up as templates or operational models," Binay said in Filipino. "The offsite venues can serve as inquiry and information booths and as registration centers that would assist non-techie mobile users, and those without internet access."
According to a National Telecommunications Commission update on Thursday, at least 2,797,660 Globe users had registered their SIM cards.
Another 1,834,752 had registered their Smart SIM cards while 742,653 had registered under Dito.
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Editor's Note: A unit under PLDT's media conglomerate has a majority stake in Philstar Global Corp., which runs Philstar.com. This article was independently produced following editorial guidelines.
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