Palace: Revive talks on SIM registration

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on Saturday, January 18, that talks on creating a registry of prepaid SIM (subscriber identity module) cards need to be revived, as it may help curb the growing online sex trade industry. (READ: NBI: Online sex trade cottage industry in PH) 

In an interview over dzRB, Lacierda said the mandatory registration of SIM cards would need “honest discussion.”

While there are post-paid subscribers who are already part of a telecommunication company’s existing registry, a registry for prepaid subscribers raises privacy issues.

“Let’s have an honest discussion on this thing… the prepaid, that’s an issue with a lot of areas of concern. It is good to discuss that to determine what will really be the policy direction,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda’s comment was prompted by reports on the Philippines’ cash-for-cybersex scheme – targetting mostly minors – that hit international headlines as early as Wednesday, January 15. 

The Philippine National Police’s Anti Cybercrime Group Director Police Senior Superintendent Gilbert Caasi Sosa said on Friday, January 17, that the absence of a Cybercrime law and the absence of mandatory SIM card registration hamper state efforts against online child pornography.

Lacierda also said Saturday that the Cybercrime Prevention Act – temporarily halted by the Supreme Court in 2012 – could have helped the country in its efforts to curb online prostitution. (READ: Palace: Cybercrime law will help curb online sex abuse)

Telecom services opposed

The top phone service providers in the country are against the proposal. SIM registration, they said, is an impractical and ineffective solution against crime as there is no reliable ID system in the Philippines. (READ: PLDT, Globe oppose sim registration)

A set of bills was filed in Congress that order the SIM card registration, following a July 2013 bombing in Cagayan De Oro City triggered by a mobile phone.

Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said late 2013 she had no legal issues against the policy. – Rappler.com