Rizal Technological University

College of Education
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

GE07: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

AN ACADEMIC PAPER:
SIM REGISTRATION ACT
IN THE PHILIPPINES

Submitted by: Group 7 of CED-02-201P

Javillo, Trisha Camille D.
Micor, Leijh Ann Jewel A.
Reymundo, Samantha Louise S.
Talento, Helen Anne T.

Submitted to: Prof. Ruado, Louis F.

 Abstract

The SIM Registration Republic Act No. 11934 is a law in the Philippines requiring the registration
of SIM cards prior to activation. Under this law, mobile users ought to register their respective
SIM cards whether they use prepaid or postpaid. The law was imposed to diminish cybercriminal
activities such as scamming, hate speech, and disinformation. This paper examines the highlights
and challenges of the SIM card law enacted in the country.

Introduction of communicating via cell phone is by the use

In today's time, the use of technology is
widely accessible and relentlessly promoted
in the society. (Iosr et al., 2015) With
technology constantly changing and
improving, tasks that require the labor of
many people can be completed without the
need for human power. It has revolutionized
our daily lives over the years providing us
convenience and quick access to information.
In addition, technology contributes to
people's entertainment, education, and job
opportunities. Technology has also paved the
way for the invention of multi-functional
devices such as computers and smartphones.
(Technology In Our Life Today And How It
Has Changed, 2022)
In accordance with the aforementioned
subject, technology has allowed people to
communicate easily all around the world.
Before cell phones were invented, the
preferred way of communication was letter
writing, but it was at best unreliable.
Sometimes it would take weeks for a letter to
arrive at its destination, and the sender would
not be aware of this fact till they heard back
from the recipient (Potter, n.d.) Nonetheless,
cell phones have become the sole means of
communication for individuals without
worrying about distance and time. One way
of text messaging made possible by sim
cards.
History
In the Philippines, sim cards were introduced
in 1994. According to an article by Olandres
(2012) ever since SIM cards commenced
operations in the Philippines, Filipinos have
sent over a billion SMS each month. Aside
from communication, sim card also made it
possible for Filipinos to access mobile
banking through their respective sim card
numbers, granting convenience to those who
lack access to formal banking. However,
despite its benefits, SIM cards made it
possible for potential criminals to carry out
nefarious acts to prey on their victims. The
majority, if not all, have fallen prey to risky
activities, which range from text scams and
unsolicited or vulgar communications to even
more serious crimes like bank fraud and
terrorism (Punay, 2023)
Due to these SMS crimes, the Republic Act
No. 11934 or also known as the SIM card law
was imposed in the Philippines. It was signed
by President Bongbong Marcos on October
10, 2022, and commenced on December 27,
2022. The law seeks to address concerns
about internet trolling, hate speech, and
misinformation. Although it may seem
promising, there is an ongoing debate about
whether the law is beneficial or may cause
more problems for Filipinos. This paper aims
to review the advantages and disadvantages
of the SIM card law in the Philippines.
Advantages of SIM Registration Act
Innovations in communication technology
are beneficial nowadays as society thrives
through enhanced mobile connectivity.
Nevertheless, security risks persist alongside
these services, hence the implementation of
Republic Act No. 11934 or officially
designated as the SIM Registration Act of the
Philippines. This part seeks to understand the
advantages of the law concerning security
threats when it comes to mobile activities.
Eliminates phishing schemes
Phishing is a type of identity theft in which
someone steals or uses another person's
personal or sensitive information without that
person's knowledge or consent by breaking
into their account, stealing their data, and
assuming their online identity to commit
fraud or other crimes or carry out
unauthorized business. Phishing emails are
regularly used by attackers to spread
malicious URLs or attachments through SMS
that are capable of performing a variety of
functions such as obtaining login details and
account information of their victims. Once
details are acquired, it becomes possible for
them to start a new bank or credit card
account, withdraw money or make purchases
under the victim's name, use their current
account to transact unlawfully with others or
pay checks in their name.
Due to anonymous messaging on SMS, it is
difficult for law authorities to identify the
criminals responsible for these SMS scams.
An article by Statista Research Department
(2022) states that the number of phishing
attempts in the Philippines during the first
half of 2022 has already overtaken those
during the entire year of 2021. In contrast to
1.34 million attacks in 2021, which had
approximately 1.8 million phishing attacks.
With SIM Registration Act in effect, it will be
convenient for authorities to determine those
violators accountable for phishing scams.
Decreases cybercrime
The SIM Card Registration Law encourages
responsible communication service use and
emphasizes text message accountability. As
the Philippine government shares these
sentiments, it passed a crucial law allowing
victims to report fraudulent texts in the hopes
of apprehending the offenders. SIM
registration benefits all Filipinos as it
significantly reduces the quantity of spam
and phishing SMS messages sent out. The use
of the anonymity provided by prepaid SIM
cards by criminals is prohibited by this
regulation. Because doing so increases the
risk of a security breach, the National Privacy
Commission (NPC) has advised against using
a central server or database. (Globe, 2022)
This law intends to hold SIM card users
accountable in order to help law enforcement
find people in charge of crimes committed
using phones. This legislation is considered a
tool to support government efforts to counter
scams that have been committed in recent
years, which are increasingly committed
through text and internet messaging.
Easier online transactions
In this day and age, Filipinos have been
utilizing the use of digital platforms and
devices for convenience in the sense of
mobile banking, business, and shopping.
Filipinos can easily do such activities with
the use of their SIM card mobile number. The
SIM Registration Act allows Filipinos to
open online accounts more manageable due
to their identity being verified. This enables
them to extend inclusiveness or also referred
to as financial inclusivity to everyone with a
registered SIM card. This also helps
businesses and services in determining
whether their customers are who they claim
to be.
Disadvantages of SIM Registration Act
In a country where text scams are very
notorious, this part of the paper discusses the
possible weaknesses of implementing the
SIM Registration Act in the Philippines. This
part aims to know the reason why the law is
deemed controversial in the country.
Not all Filipinos have identification card
According to Lim (2022), an IT analysis, the
country must first finalize the national ID
system which is the main foundation and also
the reason why other countries have
immediately implemented the sim card
registration. One of the factors why the
country's government tries to fully
implement this law is to protect Filipinos
from any form of cybercrime. However, even
if the system wants to implement this kind of
law, the identification system cannot fully
support this kind of act as there are still
higher chances that people can easily present
different identification IDs. In addition,
telecommunication companies need to cross-
verify if the IDs are legitimate.
The potential prohibition of using mobile
services is a significant drawback of sim card
registration for those without legal IDs. A
registered sim card is required for many
financial services, such as mobile banking or
digital payment platforms. Individuals may
have difficulty executing financial
transactions and paying bills. Moreover,
enjoying other financial benefits accessible
through mobile platforms if they do not have
access to these services. Governments and
service providers ought to seek alternate
choices or strategies to ensure that people
without legitimate IDs are not completely
barred from using mobile services.
Furthermore, for the law to be fully effective,
the government must include offering
alternate verification methods or programs to
assist persons in obtaining genuine
identification documents. Regulators or
official requirements frequently call for sim
card registration for security and
identification reasons. Due to non-
compliance from not registering a sim card
because of a legitimate ID, there may be
fines, service restrictions, or legal
repercussions.
Risk of identity theft
Santos (2022), a cybersecurity policy analyst,
mentions that the SIM registration act may do
more harm than good. She states that SIM
registration can potentially put the security,
privacy, and welfare of citizens at risk. There
may be more risks than benefits to citizens
from SIM card registration, according to
experiences from other developing nations
and the European Union. Experts believe that
it is a “gold mine information”, meaning it is
a risk for all users who registered their phone
numbers and uploaded different personal
information due to the law's requirements.
People may experience increased threats to
their privacy.
The chances of crime perils increase since
once a number is registered, it will
automatically connect it with a person's
database including social media and mobile
banking accounts. Given the circumstance of
getting hacked, listed below are some of the
dangers an individual may experience:
• Stalking
• Direct bank theft
• Harassment
SIM card registration entails supplying
personal information such as name, address,
and identification data, all of which stalkers
may easily acquire. These data can be abused
or compromised, which might threaten
people's privacy. This information runs the
risk of being obtained by unauthorized
individuals or potentially being misused by
the government or telecommunication
providers. The possibility of identity theft or
fraud is increased by the gathering of
personal information during sim card
registration. Criminals may access stored
data and use it for illegal activities, which
might include financial fraud or
impersonation if the data is not sufficiently
protected. In some cases, employees of
telecom operators or government
organizations in charge of sim card
registration may abuse their position of
authority and misuse the personal data
gathered during the registration process.
They might employ this information for
illegal activities like blackmail or
harassment. Cybercrimes and text scams are
the factors why this law has been imposed.
However, there are still no changes left
despite the dangers it can cause.
Digital divide
The Philippines is an archipelago consisting
of 7,640 islands with 18 regions, 81
provinces, 145 cities, 1,489 municipalities,
and 42,029 barangays. With such a large area,
many Filipinos, up to this day, still do not
have the privilege to access the internet. In
the Philippines, there is a glaring divide
between rural and urban areas when it comes
to accessing the internet. Many provinces
either have poor signal coverage, dead spots,
or insufficient telecom infrastructure. These
factors cause gaps and connectivity issues for
areas that are not covered by fiber.
SIM registration requires the use of digital
platforms and devices to access the
registration link fast and easily. However,
with the digital divide present in the country,
a lot of people without internet access and
outdated devices seem impossible to register
their respective SIM cards.
Telecommunication companies are to put up
registration centers in remote areas for 60
days. (Pascual, 2023) However, this still
appears to be one-sided, especially to those
who have yet to buy cell phones past the
registration due date and are living in more
inaccessible areas.
Conclusion
The newly implemented policy of
compulsory SIM card registration in the
Philippines is highly controversial. In this
academic paper, we explore the advantages
and disadvantages of sim card registration.
Through a review of relevant literature, the
overall side is against to this issue. After
careful analysis, it can be concluded that the
mandatory registration of sim cards in the
Philippines is not the right solution to address
the problem of criminal activities. Even
though the intention of the policy is to
improve national security and public safety,
there are several issues and challenges that
must be considered, and these outweigh the
benefits.
To begin with, the registration of sim cards
may lead to an infringement of privacy and
freedom of expression. It allows the
government to conduct surveillance on the
communication activities of individuals,
which could be considered a violation of
human rights. According to Tamayo (2018),
this policy can be viewed as a way for the
government to monitor dissenters and
activists who protect freedom of expression
and criticize government policies.
In addition to that, the sim card registration
process is expensive and time-consuming,
which creates a significant burden for
individuals, telcos, and the government. It
requires the collection of personal data such
as name, address, birthday, ID, etc., which
can be challenging or impossible for many
people, especially those who are poor or
illiterate. It could also lead to a rise in
cybercrime and identity theft, as highlighted
by Ghai (2017), who argues that the
registration of SIM cards could enable
unscrupulous people to gain access to
individuals' data and information.
Thirdly, the sim card registration policy could
lead to a further widening of the digital
divide. As Tamayo (2018) observes, it may
not be possible for some people, particularly
in the remote rural areas, to access mobile
services due to a lack of government
infrastructure or resources. This could create
a barrier to socio-economic development,
especially if mobile services are becoming a
necessity for daily life and transacting.
Moreover, the implementation of the sim card
registration policy may not be effective in
curbing criminal activities. The policy
creates a false sense of security, as criminals
can still obtain sim cards through a black
market or smuggled from neighboring
countries. It's evident in the Philippine setting
that the implementation of several policies
and regulations have not completely
eradicated criminal activities, as mentioned
by JOCO (2019).
Additionally, there is a possibility that the
registration data may fall into the hands of
unauthorized individuals, such as corrupt
public officials or cybercriminals. This data
can be used for illicit activities, such as
identity theft, scamming, or harassment. In
fact, the Philippines has a history of data
breach, as pointed out by Vergara (2018),
where data was leaked from a voter
registration database, affecting millions of
people. Furthermore, the sim card
registration policy has been challenged by
human rights activists and
telecommunication companies. The National
Privacy Commission (NPC) and the Senate
have acknowledged the issues and
inconsistencies in the policy, which needs
clarification and improvement. As reported
by Topacio (2020), several court cases have
already been filed questioning the
constitutionality of the policy, and the
Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling.
In light of these concerns, the government
should carefully consider the potential
negative impacts of mandatory sim card
registration and explore alternative measures
to address security concerns without
compromising the rights and privacy of its
citizens. The government can explore
encryption technologies and other forms of
security measures to protect communication
and ensure confidentiality. Ultimately, the
government must find a balance between
national security and individual rights while
upholding democratic principles and values.
At the same time, the government should
encourage digital literacy and education to
empower citizens to use digital technologies
safely and responsibly, rather than relying
solely on restrictive measures that may do
more harm than good.

In conclusion, while the mandatory

registration of SIM cards is well-intended
and aims to enhance national security, the
drawbacks and limitations outweigh the
benefits. To address these issues, the
government should consider alternative
measures to enhance national security while
protecting individual rights and promoting
economic development. For instance, the
government could strengthen intelligence
and law enforcement agencies to better
monitor and prevent criminal activities and
terrorism. The government could also invest
in communication infrastructure in remote
areas to reduce the digital divide. Therefore,
the policy should be reconsidered to take into
account the concerns of privacy, freedom of
expression, and equality, as well as to ensure
effective implementation.
References

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