Expressing his support for a bill mandating the registration of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa claimed that the measure can help deter crime.
This is false.
Watch this video:
The former police chief co-sponsored in the 18th Congress a similar bill but it was vetoed by then-president Rodrigo Duterte last April because it contained provisions requiring social media accounts to be registered under the owner’s legal name. Duterte said this could impede the constitutional right to privacy.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include the video fact check.
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Sources
Senate of the Philippines official YouTube channel, Plenary Session No. 16 (September 5, 2022), Sept. 5, 2022
Privacy International, SIM Card Registration, accessed on Sept. 6, 2022
GMSA, Access to Mobile Services and Proof of Identity 2021 Revisiting SIM Registration and Know Your Customer (KYC) Contexts During COVID-19, April 2021
Senate of the Philippines official website, SBN-2395 (Veto Message), April 14, 2022
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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