President Marcos signed the SIM Card Registration law in response to SMS scams that have proliferated in cellphones of consumers.
President Marcos Jr. signed today the SIM Card Registration Act, the first he signed as president.
The signing ceremony was held at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañang and attended by several lawmakers led by House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Inquirer reported.
The SIM Card Registration Act aims to provide accountability for SIM card use and assist law enforcement in tracking down perpetrators of crimes committed through phones, said OIC Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil said.
It requires all public telecommunications entities (PTE) or direct sellers to present a valid identification document with a photo. The information when registering the SIM card will be confidential unless otherwise, the subscriber authorizes the access of information.
Additionally, law enforcement organizations investigating crimes committed using mobile phones may write to the companies requesting the information of the registered SIM card owner. In response to the law, the telecommunication company shall disclose the needed subscriber’s full name and address.
Data breaches and violators of the law will be punished severely under this law.
Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe lauded the signing of the new law after years of advocating this bill even in the previous administration.
It had previously been vetoed by the Duterte administration, but after current legislators reread the bill and made the necessary revisions in consultation with stakeholders, Congress delivered the updated bill to the president.
“We applaud the President’s signing of this long-overdue measure into law. We worked hard to pass the legislation anew as a crucial first step to fend off text scammers while guaranteeing utmost respect to fundamental human rights.” Poe said.
Lawmakers pushed for this bill to enforce accountability and safeguard citizens against fraud, text scams, and terrorism. Many members of Congress, both in the lower and upper chambers, hope that this new law would lead to improved accountability, openness, and security.
Not only the government, but the residents of the country also hope that there will be no more SMS scams, especially ones involving personal information, as this is a violation of data and privacy.
Tags: #SMS, #Law, #Lawmakers, #Security, #SIM, #PTE, #Marcos