SIM card registration advocates often cite the system as a deterrent against crime.

Experiences of other
countries suggest otherwise. If anything, they’ve shown how criminals always find ways to circumvent it
or, worse, to use it to their advantage.

In Pakistan, requiring SIM card registration resulted in the emergence of black markets for unregistered
SIM cards, and a rise in identity fraud. Mexico’s card registration law was enacted in 2009 but was
repealed just three years later after yielding no improvement in the prevention, investigation, and
prosecution of associated crimes. For these same reasons, countries like Canada have rejected proposals
to establish a similar measure.

Mandatory SIM card registration also tends to discourage or discriminate against outlier sectors.
Requiring people to personally appear and present identification documents in order to purchase a SIM
card will prove tricky for those with limited mobility, those that live in remote places, and those who
simply do not have basic documentation like birth certificates. They may be forced to forego with
registration — and their ability to communicate — altogether.

This is ridiculous and unfair given the current state of ID systems in the country, which exposes a
government that is incapable of issuing valid IDs efficiently and, at the same time, preventing
the proliferation of fraudulent ones.

To top it off, telecommunications service providers constantly point out that the trend is really towards
a SIM-less future for mobile telephony. If true, any measure now calling for a SIM card registry will enjoy
a very short shelf life.

All in all, a comprehensive take on the subject suggests that SIM card registration will offer some
potential in addressing terrorism and other crimes. But it will be at a cost that may be too great to pay.

It is true that privacy and security are not completely contradictory concepts. In fact, they are mutually
reinforcing values that both need to be upheld for the benefit of the people. That said, privacy is a
human right, and as such, it should not be sacrificed so easily.

Surrendering it, together with access to communication, in favor of a token level of security is a bargain
that FMA and other rights groups are not willing to take. And neither should every Filipino.