NTC wants compulsory SIM registration law

[Wayth Vader]

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By Daxim L. Lucas
Inquirer



TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORS want Congress to pass a law that would require buyers of prepaid subscriber information module (SIM) cards to register their personal details with mobile phone firms.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) hopes that the more stringent rules, if enacted into law, would deter street crimes and petty thefts that have targeted mobile phone owners in recent years.

"We are supporting Congress' initiatives to require the registration of SIM cards because [NTC believes] this is one very important way of reducing the crime rate," NTC Deputy Commissioner Jorge Sarmiento said in a telephone interview.

In particular, the official said the regulator was supporting a bill proposed by Sen. Manuel Villar which required mobile phone stores and dealers to record the personal details of SIM card buyers.

The information is then stored in a data bank either with regulators or with cellular phone firms, which can then be accessed when mobile

phone theft and other cell phone-related crimes occur.

"Cell phones have become so 'commoditized' that it's so easy to buy and sell them nowadays," Sarmiento noted, explaining the attractiveness of mobile phones as a target of crime.

He pointed to the alarming increase in crime statistics showing that victims were targeted--and sometimes killed--for their mobile phones.

Sarmiento said a legislation to tighten the cell phone trade--or at least those of the SIM cards required to operate them--might be the only way to deter these crimes.

"We issued a memorandum circular in 2000 requiring the registration of SIM cards but that has been the subject of a TRO (temporary restraining order) from the courts," he said.

Regulators' move to require prior registration of SIM card buyers was vehemently opposed by mobile phone firms for fear that the process would reduce their sales.

It is also opposed by civil rights advocates who fear that the government may use the registered information to erode the citizens' right to privacy.

Last week, operatives of the NTC and police officials raided several phone dealers in Marikina City as part of a campaign against the trade of fenced mobile phones.

"For now, we have a memorandum circular [requiring] the registration of these establishments," he said. "But it's still not very effective because of the sheer number of vendors around the country."

The NTC earlier teamed up with the Philippine National Police in a bid to clamp down on the booming cellular phone trade which they believe is encouraging criminality.

The primary target of the campaign is to address the illegal sale of lost or stolen cell phones as well as text scams.

[chrizy4u!]

maayo ni pra matrace ang mga binoang sa cell.

[lorz]

mas maau ni..mao bitaw ni gbuhat sa uban countries...though naa japon mga bnoang nga dli malikayan.. pero at least ma minimize...

[Wayth Vader]

actually if didto ka sa taiwan, 1 sim per person lng ilang bag o nga law.. unlike sa una nga multiple among magamit kay pag mopalit kag sim loaded na ug 1k ang price is only 300 so nakalibre ka ug 700NT$... ilang giusab kay pagkahurot sa sim load amo ra mn ipang hatag sa mga new comer, which is among identity still registered sa telco so magamit ni for illegal means..(nahitabo jud ni sya, money fraud.. kay pagtrace sa imo number dali ra kay ikaw tag iya.. mao ng pag naa ka sim tagui na lng if dili nimo gamiton..)

[Wayth Vader]

mas maau ni..mao bitaw ni gbuhat sa uban countries...though naa japon mga bnoang nga dli malikayan.. pero at least ma minimize...

OT: la na mibalik sa TAIWAN?

[lorz]

^^^^waaaaa...bulgaracious kaau ka...wla nako balik oi...hihihi...

[samsungster]

its hard to implement that..

[Wayth Vader]

its hard to implement that..

saun ra na

[nadzki123]

ok pud ni na idea da.. thumbs up!