A group of privacy advocates in the Philippines has released a joint statement that raises concern over the Department of Information and Communication Technology’s (DICT) “SIM Check Mo” program.
The DICT SIM checker program will allow anyone to easily validate a mobile number by simply texting the 11-digit number to the DICT 1326 hotline. The user will then receive a confirmation if the SIM has been registered or not, if it has a good or derogatory record, and even the user’s initials.
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Now, the group of privacy advocates said that this new program is a grave threat to the privacy of the people as it will open their private information to fraudsters and scammers who want to verify the ownership of a SIM number.
This new program will also allow criminals to stalk and harass private individuals. “The DICT is opening up the people’s personally identifiable information to grave harm and danger,” the statement added.
The group is urging the DICT to reconsider the program and to take the necessary steps to ensure that the people’s right to privacy is protected.
They are also calling on the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to uphold its mandate and strictly enforce the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The statement was posted on Facebook by the Computer Professionals’ Union, which was co-signed by different individual and organizational signatories.