Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday refuted insinuations the provision to address anonymity was an out of topic or a mere “rider provision” in the proposed SIM Card Registration Act.
Drilon said the provision mandating the use of one’s real name, instead of a fictitious name, and a registered phone number when creating social media accounts was introduced during the period of amendments when the Senate deliberated on the measure.
“It’s not a bicam insertion. We studied it and introduced it in the plenary as part of our humble contribution in the fight against trolls and fake news,” Drilon said in a statement.
“Twenty-two (22) senators voted in favor of the measure on third reading last December. The provision is meant to curb the proliferation of fake and troll accounts on various social media platforms,” Drilon reiterated.
“It is not an out of topic provision. It is not a rider provision that those against the measure can cite to challenge the legality of the measure,” he stressed.
The minority leader further explaiined that the title of the bill exactly mandates the registration of SIM cards for electronic devices and social media accounts to eradicate criminal-aided activities done on mobile phones, internet or electronic transactions.
The bicameral conference committee later on adopted this provision, Drilon stressed.
The bill, Senate Bill No. 2395, is now up for approval by the President.
“It is about time that social media companies and social media users operate in the daylight. This anonymity in the social media allows the use of fictitious names which trolls use to propagate fake news and attack anyone endlessly and mercilessly,” Drilon said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, one of the authors of the measure and primary mover of the bill, also welcomed this said provision saying he is confident that criminals would no longer enjoy anonymity once the SIM Card Registration bill is enacted into law as they can now be tracked down by law enforcers.
“This is a very timely development considering that there has been an unprecedented rise in e-commerce and digital services and this would help promote consumer and business confidence as there will now be a layer of protection against fraudsters,” said Gatchalian.
“The boundless stream of supply of prepaid SIM cards has become a magnet of illicit activities. There have been countless cases of online fraudsters who use unregistered mobile numbers,” the lawmaker added.
The senator noted that the most recent incidents, and still prevalent, are spam text messages offering non-existing part-time or work-from-home jobs as well as fake delivery bookings victimizing even notable personalities.
The bill, he said, also addresses abuses in online lending schemes, as this would put a stop to unfair debt collection practices.
He said the public telecommunications entity (PTE) would be required to provide information upon order of a competent authority if a specific mobile number or social media account is being used to commit libel, anonymous online defamation, hate speech, and the like.
“If we want to curb these unlawful activities, it is imperative to regulate the sale and distribution of these SIM cards by establishing a registry or database of validated information of its authorized owner,” he stressed.