A network of digital advocates is rejecting the SIM card registration bill after its passage in the House Committee on information and communications.
Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo said that SIM card registration may be risking personal data information to possible hacking.
“If the government will consolidate all sim card users’ data in one database, the government may be creating the holy grail of all databases. And like any other treasure, this will be highly coveted and more enticing for hackers.” Gustilo said
Gustilo said that sim card registration is not the solution to spam texts and it is not advisable to give hackers or leakers another database to capture. The SIM card registration bill was vetoed by former President Rodrigo Duterte but was refiled again after numerous personalized spam texts were received by telco subscribers. It is feared that personal data information may have been exposed to data leak or data breach.
“It is simply not advisable. How can the government ensure that the integrity of the personal data information of SIM users will be preserved when even government agencies are vulnerable to cyberattacks? We will only just be giving them another target to attack.”
Gustilo said that with the proliferation of SMS broadcasting apps, text blast machines, and SIM cloners, the registration of sim cards may even do more harm than good. He insisted that telecommunication companies and the NTC should just step up in blocking spam messages and deactivating sim cards being used to send spam texts.
“The telcos and the NTC should step up in stopping the transmission of these unscrupulous messages preying on it is hapless victims. The NTC should also require telcos to stop the transmission of spam messages. The ball is in their hands.”
Reference: Ronald Gustilo, Digital Pinoys National Campaigner
