Online users in Asia Pacific are more concerned of having their blood relatives or relationship partners seeing or accessing their private data online way more than malicious actors.
A local restaurant serving Hong Kong cuisine could be liable for a minimum of P1.2 million in damages after it exposed in social media the PWD cards of six members of a family who tried to avail of their PWD discount.
Ironically, the research also found out that more than one-fifth of the users are still willing to sacrifice their privacy to gain a product or a service for free.
The National Privacy Commission said the Covid-19 apps being rolled out by the government and the private sector will only be effective if these solutions will allow users to share information without fear of misuse or discrimination.
NPC chair Raymund Liboro emphasized, however, that the disclosure should be limited to the necessary medical information and should be made only to the proper authorities.
The National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines (NADPOP) said it should be the sole discretion of a Covid-19 patient whether or not to disclose his or her health information.
The National Privacy Commission stressed that even in times of calamity or a state of a public health emergency, privacy rights “remain in effect and upholding them equate to protecting lives.”
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has reminded government offices to avoid burdening recipients with personal data requirements that are beyond the minimum necessary, which would only impede the speedy flow of aid distribution.
The government agencies said now is the worst possible time to fall victim to online fraudsters as they can steal sensitive data, cause financial, and reputational damages, and make devices unusable.
Today, as we are in community quarantine and as we practice social distancing, telemedicine may be the answer to the need of patients seeking consult but unable to travel or unwilling to take the risk of additional exposure to the novel coronavirus.
