SIM Registration Law did not address the incidence of cybercrime after it was enacted into law under Ferdinand Marcos Jr’ s administration

MANILA – TheComputer Professionals’ Union (CPU) sounded the alarm over the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) proposal to require social media users to have the Philippine National ID.

The DICT claimed that the proposal would be the ‘safest’ way of verifying age of social media users, following the government’s statement blaming social media and online games for the series of school shootings in the country.

The CPU, however, maintained that the proposal is alarming and profoundly intrusive to Filipino citizens’ digital rights.  “Rather than fostering a safe online environment, this draconian measure represents a clear and direct attack on the basic human right to privacy without any legitimate grounds that it will protect us from crime, or protect our youth from the culture of violence,” the union said.

Beyond possible violations of citizens’ privacy, the CPU said the rule strips away the right to anonymity, threatens free expression, and can become a dangerous tool for mass surveillance.

The group pointed out that the SIM Registration Law did not address the incidence of cybercrime after it was enacted into law under Ferdinand Marcos Jr’ s administration.

Despite the law’s promise to stop cybercrime and scams, reports of digital crimes have reportedly tripled in 2024, according to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC). In an online article, the CICC recorded more than 10,004 cybercrime complaints in 2024 and P198 million ($3.16 million) in monetary losses from these incidents.

The CPU asserted that the proposal will also not solve the issues of online exploitation or youth violence. According to them, the real solution is a better system—accessible mental health services, comprehensive digital literacy programs integrated into educational systems, and stricter gun control measures to prevent real-world violence. (AMU, RVO)

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