(June 4, 2021) – The National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Friday warned over possible phishing of a website that conducted a survey for the 2022 elections, saying respondents could’ve given sensitive personal information.
NPC chairman Raymund Liboro said they are now investigating the website Pilipinas2022.ph after asking respondents to provide personal details to join the survey.
“Anything about political affiliation is considered sensitive ayon sa batas natin at ‘yan ay nangangahulugan ng mas mataas na antas ng pag-iingat sa parte ng pagsu-survey o nagpo-process ng info. Kaya nung tinignan ko, ’di mo alam sino nagpapa-survey at anong kumpanya behind it,” said Liboro in an interview with Ted Failon and DJ Chacha sa Radyo5.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has already flagged the website as well, warning the public not to give out personal information.
“This site is not affiliated with the Comelec. Therefore exercise extreme caution in interacting with it, as it could be a phishing site,” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in a Twitter post. “Think twice about using or clicking on online survey websites created and managed by unknown entities as these may pose security risks.”
Good morning patriots! https://t.co/0PxtJU7Ma7 is not affiliated with the COMELEC in any way. Think twice about using or clicking on “online survey” websites created and managed by unknown entities as these may pose security risks. Also: surveys DO NOT predict election outcomes.
— James Jimenez (@jabjimenez) May 30, 2021
Liboro said while organizations may conduct online surveys, they will need to report to the NPC for full transparency.
“Mayroon kaming mandatory registration requirement. If you process more than 1,000 records of sensitive info, obligado ka na dapat i-register ‘yan within two months of launching your system. In that way kasi maraming info ang nire-require namin (like) ’yung company behind this, ano mandato para gawin ito, ano polisiya sa pagkuha into,” said Liboro.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still crippling the country, political experts believe a shift to online campaigning will be the new normal for the 2022 elections.
This, however, also brings up many concerns regarding data privacy and possible breaches in websites.
“Ano ba ang danger sa amin na nagbigay info kung hindi pala registered? Dahil napaka-political nito, ‘yung info niyo maaaring magamit bilang profiling,” said Liboro. “Maaaring i-match ‘yun at mapunta sa third party at pagdating sa election, maaari kang bombahan ng kung anu-anong materyales na puwede kasi na-target ka.”
Comelec commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. has assured that safeguards are in place to prevent bogus activities in online campaigns.
As of the latest data from Comelec, over 58 million have already registered for the 2022 elections, including 3.6 million new voters.
(Kiko Demigillo/PM)
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