The mandatory SIM registration bill has passed the third and final reading on the senate today, December 16.
With a unanimous vote of 21-0-0, Senate Bill No. 2395 or the SIM Card Registration act has been passed by the senate.
The bill has a provision that would mandate social media platforms to require “real-name and phone number upon creation of account” to help unmask online trolls.
This social media provision was pushed by Senator Franklin Drilon, who proposed to penalize trolls with up to 12 years of jail time and a fine of up to Php200,000 or face both. Besides trolls, these penalties may also be given to users who will use “fictitious identities” when registering for a SIM card.
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The bill will mandate SIM card registration with an aim to “deter the proliferation of SIM card, internet or electronic communication-aided crimes, such as but not limited to terrorism; text scams; unsolicited, indecent or obscene messages; bank fraud; libel; anonymous online defamation; trolling; hate speech, the spread of digital disinformation or fake news.”
“This new provision will prevent anyone from making anonymous accounts online. We have to cure trolls that are spreading as fast as the virus that we are battling today,”
“Troll is a virus that hides behind anonymity and continues to spread nothing but hatred and disinformation,”
“This provision is a solution to the anonymity that provides the environment for trolls and other malicious attacks to thrive in the age of social media,”
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon
Bill sponsor Senator Grace Poe said that the provision will create “another layer of security protection” for Filipinos to fight criminals and their “wicked plans.”
The senator also ensured everyone that the bill will be enforced “with full regard to our right to privacy.”
Via: Inquirer