(UPDATE April 1, 2022) The UP Internet Freedom Network said the SIM Card Registration bill was submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte on March 18, not February 2 as they have previously reported. The copy has been edited to reflect this update.
A bill requiring social media users to register their real names and phone numbers on new accounts could lapse into law on April 17 despite calls from different organizations for President Rodrigo Duterte to veto the bill.
Both houses in Congress ratified on February 2 the proposed “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act.” Under Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution, if the president does not act on a bill passed by Congress within 30 days, “it shall become a law as if he had signed it.”
The bill does not enumerate which social media platforms are under its scope. The SIM Card bill also doesn’t require existing social media accounts to reveal the identity of its users. However, the Computer Professionals Union (CPU) said these provisions can be added on its implementing rules and regulations.
Aside from using real names on social media, the proposed act also requires all SIM card owners to submit their name, birthday, gender and address through a registration form submitted to operators , along with a government ID to prove their identity. Those who fail to provide valid identification and accomplish registration forms will not be allowed to purchase SIM cards.
Sen. Grace Poe, one of the bill’s authors, insist that it would create a “safer and more secure cyberspace” by eradicating phone-aided criminal activities including text scams, bank fraud, massive disinformation proliferation and terrorism.
But several cybersecurity groups called to immediately junk the measure as it poses grave security risks.
CPU, an organization of information and communication technology (ICT) practitioners, professionals and advocates, submitted to Duterte a petition opposing the bill, containing 25,000 signatures.
The CPU said it would not solve cybercrime and only expose citizens to risks by creating a database of users’ personal information.
“As individuals, we’re going to be limited on how we will be expressing ourselves daily or on social media because we have the fear that somebody from the state is watching [us],” said Francis Malayao of CPU in a March 2 forum.
He added that aside from being ineffective in addressing cybercrime, the database containing personal information could be used in state surveillance and repression through profiling and harassment.
Democracy.Net.Ph, an internet and ICT advocacy group, also launched a petition with more than 72,000 signatories as of writing. The group said the bill is a “cybersecurity disaster in the making” given the track record of state bureaus and tech companies.
“This bill criminalizes the right to anonymity and pseudonymity on the Internet and is a violation of Filipinos’ rights to privacy, freedom of speech and freedom of association,” the petition read.
The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) also called for the junking of the bill due to its vague scope, ambiguous provisions and insufficient legislative guidelines that open doors for abuse such as using data for surveillance once implemented.
“Many countries recognize anonymity for the important role it plays in advancing privacy, free expression, government accountability, public participation and debate, given the way it shields groups and individuals from attacks and unwarranted interference,” it added.
According to 2020 data from Privacy International, 155 countries have similarly adopted mandatory SIM registration laws, but the global nonprofit flagged them for being “ineffective and inefficient” for fueling the rise of identity-related crime and black markets rather than curbing crimes.
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FMA believes that the measure imposes an “unnecessary burden on mobile phone users and third-party resellers, which consist mainly of small businesses.”
The bill requires old SIM card users to register with their respective public telecommunications entity within 180 days. Those who fail to do so will have their SIM cards deactivated.
Violators caught using fake identities on social media and sim cards are subject to a minimum of six years prison time, a fine of up to P200,000, or both.
