Fighting cybercrime together

The mandatory registration of subscribers’ identity module (SIM) starts tomorrow as provided for in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 11934. Called for short as SIM Registration Act, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) signed this into law on Oct. 10 this year.

The IRR was issued last Dec. 12 providing for the SIM registration until April 26. But it gave allowance for possible extension of deadline up to 120 days depending on the discretion of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). The country’s two giant telecommunications companies (telcos) – the Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom – have enough head start to inform already their respective post-paid and pre-paid mobile phone subscribers on the requirements of the SIM Law.

Moreover, the NTC granted them more time to prepare and test their systems to ensure the safety of the information that will be collected from prepaid subscribers. Although the mandatory registration applies to all the telco customers, it would be lesser hassles for the post-paid subscribers whose basic information required by this law were mostly in the records already of their service providers.

For individual registration, the pre-paid subscribers can present any valid government-issued ID, including passport, national ID, and driver’s license, to their SIM provider. Enterprises, on the other hand, must show their certificate of registration.

According to Yoly Crisanto, Globe Telecom executive vice president for corporate communications, they will facilitate via online registration of the SIMs of some 87.9 million of their customers, 84 million of whom are all “active” pre-paid subscribers. For those who have no online or internet access, Crisanto assuaged them that Globe Telecom will put in place, with the help of the government, registration-assisted sites by Feb. next year.

Smart VP and head of Regulatory Affairs, lawyer Roy D. Ibay welcomed the formulated IRR that they in the public telecommunication entities (PTEs) like Smart helped drafted. In 2021, Smart reported having invested nearly P3 billion in cybersecurity infrastructure to help safeguard the public against emerging cyberthreats, vulnerabilities, and other online criminal activities.

A wireless subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance and Telephone (PLDT) Co., Smart reiterated their long-standing consumer protection initiatives aimed at curbing mobile phone-aided criminal activities such as text scams and “fake” news. In addition to blocking SIMs that send ‘smishing’ messages, Smart has also blocked Uniform Resource Locators (URL) linked to these illegal activities.

As mandated by RA 11934, the NTC drew up the IRR in consultation with the other information and communication technology (ICT) stakeholders. The law details penalties for violations ranging from P100,000 to P1 million. Here are some of the offenses under the SIM Card Registration Act:

• Failure to register a SIM card

• Violation of confidentiality

• Registering a SIM card under false identities or with forged identification documents

• Impersonating a registered SIM card owner

• Reselling a stolen SIM card

• Selling or transferring a registered SIM card without first registering it.

The SIM Registration Act was the first law approved by the 19th Congress in a very quick fashion. Aside from being included in the common legislative agenda, its expeditious passage into law was due to the fact it was approved and ratified before by the defunct 18th Congress.

However, former President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed a particular “rider” provision that amended the consolidated Senate and House versions of the SIM bill during the bicameral conference committee.

The vetoed provision sought to require social media users to register their legal identities and phone numbers when creating new accounts. It targeted what then Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon accused as “army of trolls” behind peddling “fake” news in social media to malign or attack other people, hiding mostly under alias names.

The veto message was released in early April this year, less than a month before the Philippines held the presidential elections amid charges and counter-charges among candidates of alleged disinformation campaigns in social media by their rival camps. Then the Liberal Party (LP) campaign manager during the last May 9 elections, Drilon cited the social media attacks on their presidential bet, VP Leni Robredo to justify the insertion of this “rider” provision.

The LP camp accused the social media bureau of Marcos as the source of “fake news” attacks on Mrs. Robredo. But of course, this is water under the bridge, so to speak. Marcos won over 31.1 million votes as against Mrs. Robredo’s 14.8 million votes.

That entire law, however, was vetoed because of this “rider” provision.

In the veto message, Mr. Duterte noted the Congress-approved SIM Law “needs a more thorough study” amid serious concerns on the potential dangers it might pose to the right of privacy of Filipinos and their freedom of expression.

The vetoed law went back to the drawing boards at the 19th Congress. Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, chairman of the House committee on information and communication technology (ICT), immediately worked on the refinements of the new SIM Act of 2022.

Incidentally, PBBM posted in his official Twitter account having received “the best Christmas gift.” He thanked the social media giant YouTube Channel that presented him the Gold Play Button Award. Only those who gather a minimum of one million followers can earn this special award. Six months into office at Malacañang, PBBM generated 2.7 million followers in his YouTube channel since he joined it in Nov. 2019. The Chief Executive also engages the public in his official accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Now protected by this SIM Registration Act, this will bring all of us together to ?ght fraudsters and cyber criminals plying their nefarious activities online.