Philippines: Adopted Act Requiring the Registration of SIM cards

The "Act Requiring the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module Cards" is adopted by the Philippines Senate on 12 December 2021. The Act requires telecommunications operators and SIM card sellers to check the buyers' identity with every purchase of a SIM card and register a select amount of information regarding the buyer. Moreover, the Act introduces a variety of data protection measures that shall be respected by telecommunications operators, such as mandatory privacy impact assessments, training of employees and end-to-end encryption. Finally, a confidentiality clause prohibits the disclosure of users' personal data on a SIM Card with the exception being the explicit request by a law enforcer. The Act also provides sanctions for both Public Telecommunications Entities, as well as direct sellers. The Act will take effect on 21 December 2021.