MANILA — The mandatory registration of SIM cards aimed at combating text messaging fraud in the Philippines started on Tuesday, with some mobile users reporting technical difficulties.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in October signed a law requiring mobile users to provide photo identification and complete a registration form with their personal details, which will be kept by the mobile service provider.

Users of existing SIM cards will have 180 days to register their SIMs or risk deactivation. New SIM cards, meanwhile, will be automatically deactivated unless their numbers are registered online.

• Marcos signs SIM registration law amid proliferation of text scams

But some users told ABS-CBN News they encountered difficulty registering their SIM cards on Tuesday.

"Medyo hassle din kasi ang dami pang kelangan na cheche bureche... Maraming mapeperwisyo, mga di makapag-register, mga walang ID. Bigyan ng assistance ang mga taong di marunong gumamit," said Mark Dela Cruz, who took some time to fill out the registration form.

(It's a bit of a hassle because there are many requirements. Many people can't register because they don't have IDs. I hope they give assistance to people who don't know how to register.)

Former OFW Teodora Salazar, meanwhile, waited as early as 4 a.m. but the link posted by her telco provider was not yet working.

"Titignan ko, iche-check ko pa rin mamaya. Kung saka-sakali, why not. Para satin din naman yun," she said.

(I'll keep checking it. If it works, why not register? It will benefit us anyway.)

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Mobile users will be asked to provide their full name, date of birth, sex, home address, government ID and number, among others.

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They can upload any of the 17 government-issued IDs that telcos accept, PLDT & Smart Group Head of Corporate Communications Cathy Yang said.

In about a minute, users will receive a confirmation text message that their SIM has been successfully registered.

The government hopes the SIM registration will enable law enforcement to combat spam and scam text messages, many of which offer fake jobs or promises of prize money.

• SIM card registration likely to help eradicate SMS scams: PLDT official
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While most countries have mandatory SIM card registration, dozens do not require it, including the United States and Britain, according to UK-based Privacy International.

The surveillance watchdog says registration puts users at risk of "being tracked or targeted" and has proven "ineffective" at reducing crimes in some countries.

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— With reports from Karen de Guzman and Benise Balaoing, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse

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