Globe lauded the release of new guidelines by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to enhance ID verification in the SIM registration process.
Globe Telecom asserts that effective implementation of the SIM Registration Act needs close collaboration and consultation among key industry stakeholders, regulators, and law enforcement agencies, as customer protection remains its top priority.
A concern was brought up at the recent Senate hearing regarding the acceptance of an animal photo instead of a real person's ID. This cast doubt on the validity of the SIM registration verification process.
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Even though Globe has entirely complied with the SIM Registration Act, resulting in the registration of 54 million SIMs, there are still areas that can be improved to prevent online fraud and scams.
According to Globe, an appropriate identification system for all citizens, such as the national ID, is the first requirement. This is necessary to prevent the use of government-issued identification cards that have been tampered with or compromised. This is a vital area that must be aggressively pursued. The telco reiterated its request for consultations with the government regarding enhancements to the National ID rollout and law enforcement.
Second, the NTC's recent guidelines to verify the identity of SIM card owners are a commendable initiative. Even though Globe will comply with the regulations, new investments must be made to implement a more sophisticated identification system. It will take time to examine various technical solutions to ensure that the telco implements a solution that addresses the unique and complex requirements of the SIM Registration law.
Thirdly, the implementation of the SIM Registration Act is just the initial stage in preventing online fraud and cons. According to Globe, if we are to attain a scam-free Philippines, we must also have law enforcement and intelligence that can keep up with technologically-based criminal activities. Citizens selling their registered SIM cards and acting as mules is another issue.
Atty. Froilan Castelo, General Counsel of the Globe Group, said:
When SIM registration was implemented last year, telcos only had 15 days to design its SIM registration platform following the release of the IRR [Implementing Rules and Regulations]. Our capability for ID validation is also limited by the lack of access to a database where we may verify submissions. For facial or optical character recognition to work efficiently and accurately, there should be a database of facial biometrics and IDs that only government issuers possess. We are currently working with the government to enhance our SIM registration platform, and we hope to get access to data with which we can verify document submissions, including photo IDs. Moving forward, we are optimistic that with the recent post-validation guidelines from the NTC, we will be able to weed out those who submitted fake credentials to register, deactivate their SIMs, and report them to law enforcers for investigation.
Globe urged SIM users to submit only verified information and IDs when registering their SIMs, as the SIM Registration Act penalizes fraudulent submissions. Individuals who provide false information or fake IDs could face imprisonment for six months to two years and a fine of PHP 300,000.
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