When the then SIM Registration bill was being deliberated a few years ago, there was an overflow of confidence from its proponents that it would effectively address various text scams and other cybercrimes once signed into law.
Two years after its implementation, did it really meet all the expectations?
No, according to the group Computer Professionals’ Union which declared that the government is not ready to implement the Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Registration Law.
One of the reasons cited by the group is the difficulty on the part of some users to register as the process requires a valid identification card, aside of course from what was observed as not-so user-friendly process.
The group said that the SIM registration process itself became money-making for some who charged the users in the registration process. The worse part, according to the group, was that the government appeared to have allowed it to happen.
“There were some people who were forced to pay for the registration because they did not know what to do. Based on the law, the registration should have been free but the government did not do anything about it,” the group said.
As to the law’s goal of being an antidote to text scams and cybercrimes, the Computer Professionals’ Union said that this did not actually happen since the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police even admitted that there was an increase in cybercrimes this year.
The PNP-ACG earlier reported that the number of cybercrimes increased by 21.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
According to the group, the government should have carried out studies to determine if the SIM Registration Law is effective.
“The government did not conduct any study regarding this. Even the DSIm Registration was not thoroughly studied considering that this was not effective in other countries,” said Computer Professionals’ Union spokesperson Maded Batara.
Batara said the fact that cybercrimes data increased after the law implementation would reveal that there is no truth to the claim that the SIM Card Registration Law will be effective in combating cybercrimes.
Earlier, Senate President Chiz Escudero and Senator Grace Poe questioned the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for failing to curb text scams. The senators also told the NTC to combat such scams instead of making excuses.
NTC earlier pointed out that the SIM Registration Act is “not a silver bullet against messaging scams.”
"The NTC fully acknowledges the call of our legislators on the need to further strengthen not only the law, but also its enforcement, to which the NTC remains committed,” the NTC said.
“Although the SIM Registration Act is not a silver bullet against messaging scams, it is nevertheless one of the most important tools for our law enforcement authorities because it provides legal sanctions for SIM-aided offenses," it added.