MANILA — Sen. Grace Poe urged government agencies and telco companies to impose a "live selfie" requirement in the process of SIM registration.

• Individuals who enter false details in SIM registration will be penalized: NTC

Poe, chairperson the the Senate public services panel, made the appeal after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) bared that it successfully activated a SIM using a fake government ID bearing the photo of a monkey.

"Kahit nandyan na ang SIM Registration law, hindi nawala ang scammers. Kaya pakiusap ko na isama na ang live selfie sa requirement ng registration," Poe said.

• Gov't warns vs unscrupulous sale of registered SIMs

"We have seen that fake government IDs can get through the telcos' system. The selfies will be an added line of defense in the SIM verification process," she added.

Poe said live selfies should be part of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR)of the SIM Registration Act.

After the NBI's revelation, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a warning that individuals who entered false details during SIM registration would face penalties, including imprisonment.

To address these concerns, NTC said there would be an updating of the IRR as well as the possibility of amending the law.

The government said that SIM registration would curb text scams, as the identities of people who use SIMs for illegal activities could be traced.

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