Extend SIM card registration period, exhort telco users to register for their own protection
April 20, 2023CitizenWatch Philippines is appealing to the Department of Information and Communications to extend the registration period for SIM cards, which will end on April 26.
As many telecommunication subscribers as possible need to be registered to prevent breaches of privacy, proliferation of text scams, and other forms of fraud that continue to victimize unsuspecting consumers. These are times when we take for granted the ease with which we use mobile devices, but we also need accountability for their responsible use.
We need to get this message across to more Filipinos.
The SIM Card Registration Act, signed into law in October 2022, has a provision that allows the DICT to extend the registration period as it deems necessary. And it is necessary – as of April 11, just 39.41% of the 168 million mobile subscribers have registered.
Let us take advantage of the provision for extension in the law and give all the opportunity for consumers to register. Many find it difficult to comply with identification requirements so alternatives like office or school IDs should be considered. Had the National ID system been distributed and in operation, SIM registration would have been much faster.
The DICT needs to work in tandem with telcos to ramp up the information drive and reach as many Filipinos as possible. Those in urban centers and who are part of the formal economy may have no problems registering, but the subscriber base we are talking about reaches to the entire archipelago. We have to let them know of the dangers of the lack of responsible use of SIMs, and the potential damage that fraudsters can inflict on hapless ordinary consumers.
CitizenWatch Philippines has long recognized the importance of extensive connectivity. Only access to digital technologies can propel our country to prosper and compete in the global digital economy.
When the pandemic-induced lockdowns hit us three years ago, we all became dependent on mobile phone services. This emboldened malicious and opportunistic minds to take advantage of hapless consumers. This was also the period when we saw a rise in deceiving text messages purporting to provide jobs they never applied to or announce that someone had won a contest they never even joined. Callers from unknown numbers, identifying themselves as bank employees, have also caused some customers to give out passwords and other sensitive information, leading to fraud.
But when we have a solid database of who owns which number, then these fraudulent calls and texts could be traced to the perpetrators and hopefully lead to their arrest.
Mandatory SIM card registration will help protect telco subscribers from cybercriminals by stripping them of their anonymity shield. We hope the DICT and NTC will grant the extension for SIM card registration and work with telcos in launching a more aggressive information campaign.
Atty Kit Belmonte
Co-Convenor