MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure mandating SIM Card users to register their information with telecommunications companies, making it available upon request of a court or other law enforcement agencies.
The mandatory SIM card registration is the first legislative measure passed by the 19th Congress.
“Any information in the SIM card registration shall be treated as absolutely confidential unless accessed to this information as been granted with the written consent of the subscriber,” Marcos said in a speech on Monday.
In April, former President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed a similar bill owing to privacy concerns, but the current influx of scam text messages to users across the country has revitalized support for the move despite reservations among ICT rights advocates that it will be effective.
According to the chief executive, the new law signals the administration’s national policy “to ensure that technology shall only be used to improve our people’s lives.”
Following the passage of mandatory SIM card registration legislation, telecommunications companies will now require individuals to produce a valid identification document when purchasing a SIM card.
Meanwhile, existing prepaid users will be provided a limited period of time to register with their respective providers. Failure to comply will result in the SIM cards deactivation.
“The use of false or fictitious information, the use of fictitious identities, the use of fraudulent documents or identifications to register a SIM card shall also be dealt with by appropriate penalties,” Marcos said.
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