10
OPINION
// THE LASALLIAN RHEIMS
Alt Account Hunt Decree RPTD // Renz Bautista
H
ave you ever made a separate social media account, page, or channel which is completely different from your personal account with a fictitious name? Well, think again after this bill which included this "out-oftopic" provision that can endanger your privacy. The bill in question? House Bill 5793 or Senate Bill 2395, otherwise known as the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act. As of now, days are ticking if the bill will be signed into law or revisions will have to be made. In 2020 alone, the PNP and NBI recorded 6,110 cybercrime offenses such as phishing and computer-related identity theft. Private telecommunication companies have took steps in protecting the nation from cybercrimes such as Globe Telecom blocking over 1.1 billion spam and scam text messages and around 7,000 mobile numbers linked to fraud. The SIM Card Registration Bill has noble intentions. S p e c i f i c a l l y, the legislation seek to curb the rise of SIM card, internet, and electronic-aided crimes. Text scams, bank frauds, hacking incidents, hate speech, trolling, and online defamation were examples of these crimes mentioned. Before the sale and activation of a SIM card for the end user, telecommunication entities shall first require a registration of the SIM cards. Meaning, before using a telco’s services when buying a sim card, you must first register it, therefore presenting any valid ID (e.g., Driver’s License, NBI Clearance, SSS/GSIS Card, and School ID for minors) and declaring your identity in the whole process. Additionally, end users are required to update and verify the information every 180 days of the SIM card’s activity.
However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. The issue that is on fire is that additional “out-of-topic” provision, in which the bill includes social media account registration. Sounds skeptical, right? There are a lot of problems that this additional provision may bring. When the bill is enacted to law, it means that all new social media accounts must be registered first with the government before its activation. When you disclose your personal information before using a registered social media account, your identity is now exposed. One of the grounds for punishment is making fictitious accounts (Yes, even your stan, parody, alt or any accounts and pages). It is saddening that most legislators immediately implying anonymity with bad acts than to being a measure of privacy and a form for individuals to express themselves without compromising their real identity. Consequently, an online petition has been running around stating that the additional provisions strips us the additional security that a lot of individuals can utilize, such as public figures, celebrities, human rights activists, victims of domestic abuse, and bullying, and even the individuals who just want to differentiate their personal life and online life. Another analogy regarding anonymity is how book authors may use code names or pen names to publish a piece any output, written or as a form of creative media. Most of us know that our freedom of expression is slowly being stripped from us with the enactment of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Law being the frontliner of it and the multiple cases of killings related to red-tagging. Upon requiring the registration of social media accounts, the government or any entity may use it as a form of surveillance, which completely voids the
implementation of RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act. This law is very dangerous if placed on to the wrong hands. As of my knowledge, North Korea has this ruling. We need to understand that North Korea uses social media sites made and controlled by the government and our country’s state is completely different from those of North Korea. We usually make social media accounts using our email, in which it can be easily made in email sites such as Gmail and Outlook with just a few clicks. I wonder how will the government force these email and social media sites into implementing this policy exclusively for the Philippines. I believe that we have the right to a personal online space without the requirement of any government surveillance. We should have the freedom to access our social media sites without our privacy being compromised and exposed. We need to make sure that we use the freedom that we have in doing what is right and in accordance with truth and justice as that one popular adage says "with great power comes with great responsibility." [R]
"We should have the freedom to access our soical media sites without our privacy being compromised and exposed. We need to make sure that we use the freedom that we have in doing what is right and in accordance with truth and justice"
