SIM CARD REGISTRATION. Inter agency response Center agents answer inquiries and complaints of telecom subscribers regarding SIM card registration on April 19, 2023. Senator Grace Poe has called on concerned government agencies and stakeholders to work together in implementing the SIM Registration Law to counter cybercrimes. (PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc)
MANILA – A senator has called on concerned government agencies and stakeholders to work together in implementing the Subscriber Identity Module [SIM] Registration Law to counter cybercrimes.
This was after Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission [PAOCC] executive director, Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, suggested the temporary suspension of the online SIM registration to fix the system.
"At the end of the day, it [SIM registration] will not be enough to filter out fraudulent messages. To address these growing and evolving digital scams, we have to root out its source," Senator Grace Poe said in a statement on Friday.
Poe said the online SIM registration does not have to be stopped but should be solved by implementing the law in a better way.
"Nasa gobyerno ang responsibilidad para mapabuti ang sistema (The government has the responsibility to improve the system). NTC [National Telecommunications Commission] is currently working hand-in-hand with telcos (telecommunication companies) to reinforce validation measures and improve the SIM registration process," she said.
"Under the updated guidelines, we are pushing for improvement in the verification and post-validation procedures by requiring mandatory live selfies, facial liveness, and face matching."
She also suggested the prohibition of stock photo options to stop fraudulent registrations.
Poe urged the telcos to be more proactive in guarding their databases and invest more in technological advances available to protect their subscribers.
The PAOCC recently found and confiscated equipment that can register up to 64 SIM cards at the same time. (PNA)
