Indonesia Number Two in the World in Spam Calls, Government Prepares Strict SIM Card Rules

SIM Card Illustration (ANTARA)

JAKARTA – Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid spoke out regarding the rampant unwanted phone calls (spam calls) in Indonesia. Based on global data, Indonesia ranks second in the world in the number of spam calls, most of which are made by unknown or hidden numbers.

Responding to this, Meutya said that the government is currently designing strict regulations regarding the use of SIM cards as a preventive measure.

"That's why yesterday we wanted to regulate the SIM card issue. So please support," Meutya told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Thursday, May 15.

She emphasized that this policy is not to make things difficult for the public, but rather to encourage telecommunications operators to comply with the SIM card registration rules using a valid and verified Population Identification Number (NIK).

"We ask operators to enforce that each NIK has a maximum of three (SIM cards). The operator must update the data," she said.

In addition, Meutya also encouraged the public to switch from physical SIM cards to e-SIMs as an effort to protect personal data. According to her, the e-SIM system can provide an additional layer of security through biometric matching.

"Because there is biometric data that is carried out to ensure that this person is correct with the correct NIK. So it can minimize data theft," explained Meutya.

She also highlighted the number of active SIM cards recorded currently reaching 315 million, far exceeding the population of Indonesia which is around 280 million people.

"Well, what is the difference used for? It could be that one person has several, but we need to look into this. Therefore, we will update the SIM card data," he concluded.

The government hopes that with the arrangement and update of the SIM card registration system, the problem of spam calls that disturb the public can be significantly reduced.