Privacy Commission to Comelec, Manila Bulletin: Explain alleged data breach
FILE PHOTO: A man types on a computer keyboard in this illustration picture taken February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Wednesday said it has summoned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Manila Bulletin over the reported hacking of the poll body’s server.
NPC Commissioner John Henry Naga said they issued separate orders to Comelec, Manila Bulletin, and technology editor Art Samaniego and asked them to appear for a clarificatory meeting via teleconference on January 25.
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“The Comelec must address the serious allegations made in the Manila Bulletin news report and determine whether personal data were indeed compromised,” Naga said in a statement.
“Rest assured that the NPC does not tolerate any act in violation of the Data Privacy Act,” he added.
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The NPC also directed the Comelec to submit the results of its own investigation on the matter not later than January 21.
Naga said Manila Bulletin informed the NPC of the hacking incident on January 8, three days before the story was published on Monday, January 11.
NPC then conducted its own investigation.
According to Manila Bulletin’s article, an estimated 60 gigabytes of data that could contain personal and sensitive information, was accessed and downloaded by a certain group of hackers.
However, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon dismissed the report as “fake news.”
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