Telecommunication companies were reminded to ensure privacy of telco subscribers’ personal information as a recently enacted law embodied in the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA) gets under way starting September 30.
“Safeguard personal information of mobile subscribers, ensure cyber-security policies are in place, and provide proper consumer welfare mechanisms in the course of porting activities,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said Wednesday as telcos are poised to implement the cell-phone number portability law.
Gatchalian authored the cellphone number portability bill now embodied in Republic Act 11202, otherwise known as the Mobile Number Portability Act.
In a news statement, the senator asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to closely “oversee proper implementation of the law” by allowing subscribers to switch between telco service providers without having to change their mobile numbers and pay for interconnection fees for calling or texting across different networks.
At the same time, Gatchalian goaded concerned agencies to ensure the promotion of subscribers’ welfare and protect them against public exposure of mobile numbers.
For instance, he cited a recent controversy surrounding the popular Netflix’s Korean series Squid Game where a supposed fictitious phone number used in the show turned out to be a real mobile number and the owner who has been using it for more than 10 years received a barrage of prank calls and texts from curious fans.
He recalled that in one of its episodes, a business card with a phone number was given to a potential contestant to be able to be invited to a mysterious survival competition with a cash prize worth W45.6 billion in Korean money.
The senator reminded that the unauthorized disclosure of personal information, such as an individual’s name and phone number, is punishable under the Data Privacy Act.
Gatchalian warned the public against posting online phone numbers without the consent of the owner, saying: “Sa panahon ngayon na kailangan natin ng mas maayos na serbisyo lalo na halos nakadepende na tayo sa ating mga mobile phones sa mga araw-araw nating gawain, mahalaga na maisakatuparan na ito at libre tayong makapamili ng serbisyo ng gusto nating telco.”