By Gabriel Kim Leal
(November 21, 2024) – The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Thursday said it continues to deactivate unregistered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards as part of the SIM Registration Law.
DICT assistant secretary Renato Paraiso confirmed that this action will render affected SIM cards useless for voice calls, text messaging, and mobile data services.
“We already have convictions at marami pang pending na kinasuhan dahil sa iba’t ibang paglabag sa SIM Registration Law, including the use of SIM cards sa scams,” said Paraiso on One PH’s One Balita Pilipinas. “Ang pagre-register ng ibang information na hindi naman sa inyo, nbakapag-file na rin tayo ng kaso diyan.”
The law, signed by Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr. in October 2022, aimed to curb the use of SIM cards in illegal activities. However, reports of text scams have continued to rise.
“Medyo malaki ang alok ng mga bumibili ng pre-registered SIM cards para magamit sa kanilang scam operations. Kailangan ipaalala na bawal ito. Baka hindi lang ‘yung mga bumili ang mapanagot but including ‘yung mga nagbenta,” added Paraiso.
He acknowledged challenges during the initial implementation of the law, citing loopholes that allowed some users to pre-register SIM cards improperly.
He also warned about new tactics used by scammers, such as text-blasting devices that bypass mobile network signals.
“Ang pinaka-importanteng tatandaan, ang text messages natin ay hindi na pinapayagan ng hyperlink. Kapag ang text niyo ay may link, malamang text scam na ‘yan,” said Paraiso.
The passage of the law was heavily criticized by several groups, citing data privacy concerns. They also maintained that it would be a weak deterrent to online crimes.
Last April, Sen. Koko Pimentel III called for amending the SIM Registration Law due to the resurgence of text scams.
(PM)
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