My unwavering support for SIM registration

The last time I wrote about the topic on SIM card registration was in September of the previous year, prior to the enactment of Republic Act 11934, or the "Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act" on October 10, 2022. I have been a supporter of this law, and even after an earlier version was vetoed by then President Duterte in April 2022, I remained optimistic about its eventual passage. Now that it has been enacted, I've been meaning to revisit the topic, but the right opportunity never seemed to present itself.

Six months after the law's enactment, despite the challenges faced by SIM subscribers when registering their prepaid SIMs, I continue to support the legislation for the same reasons I outlined in my previous writings.

A police official in Cebu seems to corroborate my stance that a SIM Card Registration law could save law enforcement time and effort, especially in tracking down people involved in text and online scams or online defamation and bullying. Even if perpetrators use deceptive methods to conceal their true identities, such as falsifying their IDs, a paper trail and electronic footprint will ultimately help the police confirm the culprits' identities.

Police Lt. Col. Mark Gifter Sucalit, Deputy Provincial Director for Operations, told The FREEMAN in a report published on Thursday that the SIM registration law would greatly help law enforcement. Sucalit explained that SIM registration will reduce scams and other fraudulent activities since it will be easier to identify the individuals responsible.

While the police expect criminals to adapt and find new ways to continue their illicit activities, Sucalit emphasized the importance of law enforcement agencies developing and strengthening their own countermeasures to thwart the nefarious plans of these criminals.

This week, the deadline for SIM card registration has been extended by 90 days, or until July 25. However, starting this week, subscribers will have limited access to services until they complete their registration. As reported by the Philippine News Agency, as of April 23, nearly 83 million or 49.31% of SIM cards have been registered.

To help make sense of these numbers, consider the following example. I have one post-paid, registered SIM card and four unregistered prepaid ones. I only use the prepaid SIM cards for my backup Wi-Fi modems in case my main connection fails. Since the SIM cards haven't been used for a long time, I might simply discard them when deactivated. While some people face difficulties registering their SIM cards due to valid ID requirements, many SIM cards in circulation are just extra ones that people don't worry about registering.

Since the law's passage, I've noticed a significant decrease in unsolicited commercial messages, also known as phishing texts or SMS spam. The implementation of 'spam' filters by network providers has likely contributed to this decline, but I believe the SIM registration requirement is a major reason for the decrease. These filters detect unwanted messages, often promoting loans, fake jobs, or containing malicious links, but they don't prevent them from reaching the user. Nevertheless, such messages now rarely appear, and when they do, the network provider's 'spam' filter alerts the user and automatically moves these messages to a separate folder.

I continue to believe that accountability is crucial for a productive and effective communication environment. Without the tools or mechanisms to verify the identities of those involved in communication, the system becomes unstable and imbalanced, leading to negative consequences for society. This is why I support SIM card registration.

Regarding privacy concerns, there are and there should be safeguards in place to hold accountable those who violate our privacy. For government critics who are wary of surveillance against perceived enemies of the state, I suggest taking the moral high ground. If you have not broken any laws, there is nothing to fear.

And if you truly want to keep private communication confidential, consider the advice I received over a decade ago during training at the National Computer Center. Always assume that anything you share online or in electronic communications could eventually be leaked or disclosed to others. If the information is really top secret, avoid sharing it online, even in private conversations. Instead, write it down on a piece of paper or save it to a USB flash drive and send a messenger to deliver it, or hand it personally to the recipient. Better yet, arrange a meeting to discuss it in person.

As they say, old methods never lose their value and usefulness.