NPC calls for privacy boost amid quarantine easing

AS government gradually eases quarantine restrictions in the country, Filipino privacy professionals and advocates gathered virtually for the Third National Data Privacy Conference to discuss how organizations may best navigate the emerging “new normal” to ensure data subject trust remains intact.

Speaking to some 2,000 online participants, many of whom are registered Data Protection Officers (DPOs), Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro urged the adoption of better defenses against growing attempts at breaching walls protecting sensitive personal data of the public in the time of pandemic.

“Many of the coping and mitigation measures to deal with the pandemic involve the use of personal data,’’ Liboro said in his opening remarks at the half-day virtual conference titled, “Enabling Trust in the New Normal: Reimagining Privacy in the Time of Pandemic.”

Organized by the National Privacy Commission (NPC) in celebration of the Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) 2020, the online event also gained over 11,000 views on a social media platform.

Panelist Raymund Nuñez, an adjunct professor at the Electrical and Engineering Institute of UP Diliman, noted that Google was blocking 18 million daily phishing attacks.

The conference took place just hours after PLDT ‘s broadband customer service account on Twitter was hacked, endangering the personal data of more than 100,000 followers and as many accounts.

“We have preliminary findings,’’ said PLDT DPO Leah Camilla Jimenez, also a panelist, said of the breach. PLDT is required to submit a report to the National Privacy Commission about the breach as part of the protocol under the Data Privacy Act.

Citing Frank William Abagnale Jr., a con man turned international cyber security expert, EastWest Bank DPO Manuel Joey Regala said it was four times easier to hack today.

San Miguel Corp. DPO Gelalyn Boquiren shared her insights on the impact of the pandemic on the retail and sectors, and on data subjects.

Princess Lou Ascalon of IBM Philippines said that clients had demanded the names of PUI (person under investigation for the new coronavirus) among BPO employees. But because of the guidelines issued by the NPC and Department of Health on contact tracing, IBM decided to just tell the clients about the presence of PUIs but their names were not disclosed.

Highlights of the video conference may be viewed at paw2020.privacy.gov.ph, while the full recording is available for replay at facebook.com/privacy.gov.ph.