DICT mulls regulating use of AI in registering SIMs by bulk
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is considering regulating the use of artificial intelligence in SIM card registration as it found that scammers have been harnessing the technology.
In a media forum on Sept. 11, DICT Undersecretary Alexander Ramos shared that in raids conducted with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and Philippine National Police (PNP), they discovered so-called scam hubs where employed individuals sell pre-registered SIM cards.
"Nag-e-evolve ang mga sindikato. 500, 1,000 ang binebenta nilang SIM card na pre-registered," he said.
Ramos added that one person from a previous raid gathered information from social media and used AI to edit their photos to use for SIM registration.
“Gusto naming magkaroon ng batas na maka-evolve nang mabilis. Walang batas sa AI pero andoon na ang direksiyon ng scams," he said.
Other than this proposal, the DICT also wants to limit the number of SIMS registered under one person. Currently, Republic Act 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, does not have such restrictions, but Ramos said that the agency is monitoring bulk registrations by certain individuals.
How do scammers use AI?
Jocel de Guzman, co-founder of Scam Watch Philippines, said that scammers likely use AI to reach their targets.
“Gumagawa sila ng random cellphone number, tapos lahat ng possible numbers i-generate ng AI. Ang mga scammer padadalhan ng message or tatawagan ang na-generate na number, kapag sinagot ibig sabihin active ang number. Kahit i-block mo, padadalhan ka pa rin ng messages from ibang numbers,” he discussed in the same media forum.
To combat these, the public can ignore the messages or report the numbers to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center hotline (1326) or through the eGOV PH app.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the SIM Registration Act in 2022 to the spread of scam and spam texts.
According to tech company Gogolook, some 3 million text scams and 320,000 scam calls were detected from January to August 15, 2024.(with reports Ghio Ong)