"Experiences from other developing countries and the European Union show that SIM card registration may pose more risks than benefits to citizens," Mirandilla-Santos who spoke on behalf of Secure Connections, a cybersecurity initiative of The Asia Foundation, told Philstar.com
"There is no evidence of the benefit of SIM card registration for crime prevention," she said.
Findings from global non-profit Privacy International show that mandatory SIM card registration policies adopted by several countries including Canada, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Ireland were "ineffective and inefficient."
Mexico also had a compulsory SIM card registration policy in 2009, but repealed it three years later after it was discovered to be "ineffective."
Bill may tread on right to privacy
"The... mandatory registration requirements and the manner by which the same will be actually implemented may result in the intrusion on an individual’s fundamental right to privacy. Specifically, this may lead to a heightened risk of the occurrence of personal data breaches and unauthorized processing of personal data," Villasoto said.
Identity theft, surveillance possible
Mirandilla-Santos also noted that the bill was not clear in explaining how SIM registration will prevent the fraudulent purchase of SIMs.
If the law is not implemented properly, criminals could use stolen SIM cards or IDs to commit cyberattacks and incidents such as identity theft, online fraud and data breaches.
Problems in Pakistan
The group noted the case of Pakistan when authorities in 2014 recovered SIM cards allegedly used by militants involved in a terrorist attack. The cards were traced to unsuspecting citizens who were not connected to the incident.
"It has been reports like this that have affirmed the decision of some countries to refrain from adopting a similar system," it said.
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"There is no evidence of the benefit of SIM card registration for crime prevention," she said.
Findings from global non-profit Privacy International show that mandatory SIM card registration policies adopted by several countries including Canada, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Ireland were "ineffective and inefficient."
Mexico also had a compulsory SIM card registration policy in 2009, but repealed it three years later after it was discovered to be "ineffective."
Bill may tread on right to privacy
"The... mandatory registration requirements and the manner by which the same will be actually implemented may result in the intrusion on an individual’s fundamental right to privacy. Specifically, this may lead to a heightened risk of the occurrence of personal data breaches and unauthorized processing of personal data," Villasoto said.
Identity theft, surveillance possible
Mirandilla-Santos also noted that the bill was not clear in explaining how SIM registration will prevent the fraudulent purchase of SIMs.
If the law is not implemented properly, criminals could use stolen SIM cards or IDs to commit cyberattacks and incidents such as identity theft, online fraud and data breaches.
Problems in Pakistan
The group noted the case of Pakistan when authorities in 2014 recovered SIM cards allegedly used by militants involved in a terrorist attack. The cards were traced to unsuspecting citizens who were not connected to the incident.
"It has been reports like this that have affirmed the decision of some countries to refrain from adopting a similar system," it said.
Full article:
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