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SIM card registration bill just got vetoed by President Duterte

SIM card registration bill just got vetoed by President Duterte

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You’re probably wondering why President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the SIM card registration bill, despite the fact that Philippine telcos are almost ready to implement it once he signs it. Globe Telecom and SMART Communications have already expressed their support for this ratification, and the newcomer DITO Telecommunity has also expressed its support for the proposed measure.

The Philippines’ telecommunications companies were well aware that this bill would aid the government in its fight against fraud, terrorism, and other crimes. And it will, in a broad context.

However, there is a catch. Once signed, it will allow all social media networks to collect users’ real names and phone numbers when they create accounts, potentially infringing on data privacy.

But first, let’s go back to the definition of veto. To fully understand, veto is a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body. In this case, the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act, Senate Bill No. 2395, also referred to as House Bill No. 5793 was rejected by President Rodrigo Duterte citing concerns on freedom of speech and data privacy, Malacañang said on Friday.

The provision ordering the mandatory registration of social media accounts prompted Duterte to veto the measure, acting Presidential Spokesperson, Communication Secretary Martin Andanar, said in a press statement. “The President has decided to veto the consolidated Senate Bill No. 2395/House Bill No. 5793, which seeks to mandate the registration of all SIM cards and social media accounts, with the purpose of deterring electronic communication-aided crimes,” he said.

While Duterte lauded the Congress’ efforts in finding ways to address the increasing incidence of cybercrimes and offenses related to information and communications technology (ICT), he was “constrained to disagree with the inclusion of social media in the measure, without providing proper guidelines and definitions,” Andanar said.

The President, he said, expressed concern that the contentious provision “may give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights.” “It is incumbent upon the Office of the President to ensure that any statute is consistent with the demands of the Constitution, such as those which guarantee individual privacy and free speech,” Andanar said.

Duterte sought a “more thorough” review of the proposal to mandate social media registration, he added.

Under the measure, Public Telecommunications Entities (PTEs) must require the registration of SIM cards for collection in a centralized database as a pre-requisite to the sale and activation of SIM cards.

The bill has a provision that states, “All social media account providers shall require (the) real name and phone number (of a user) upon creation of account.”

It penalizes those who sign up for social media accounts using fictitious identities with a fine of PHP200,000 and a jail term of up to six years or both.

Rejecting the SIM card registration bill seems to overlooked its pros, such as addressing SIM card-based fraud and other crimes aided by SIM cards, as well as fight the rise of online trolls, but it gave way to study it further because of a possible breach in data privacy. The inclusion of social media providers in the registration requirement was not part of the original version of the bill and needs a more thorough study.

Andanar said that Duterte “was constrained to disagree” with the inclusion of social media in the measure without providing proper guidelines — saying it may “give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights.”

The President is given a power to veto a bill or joint resolution that will prevent its enactment into law.

However, the House of Representatives may overturn a presidential veto by garnering a two-thirds majority vote.

What’s your thought on this?

Anonymous

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Metropoler is a social media-centric news website in the Philippines that covers the intersection of financial, business, media, tech, science, tourism, food, entertainment, art, politics, and culture launched on June 1, 2020.
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