Colmenares says nat’l ID system could be a ‘data breach nightmare’

Neri Colmenares (File photo by KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The possible data leak that hit the government-run Freedom of Information (FOI) website raises serious doubts about the National Identification System law that would roll out this September, Makabayan senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares warned on Monday.

Lawyer Tristan De Guzman of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Legislative Affairs said Malacañang was probing the possible data breach from the FOI website after users said the data on IDs of those requesting information from the system was being released online.

READ: Palace, privacy commission probe possible FOI website data leak

This came barely six months before the start of the registration for and the release of identification cards under the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) in September.

READ: National ID system to roll out in September – PSA

In a statement, the Bayan Muna chair warned that the rollout of the National ID system could be a “data breach nightmare” because “it is not only violative of the people’s right to privacy but will even pose serious sovereignty and security implications to our country.”

Colmenares said the data breach could also “subject well-meaning people to harassment or retaliation by powerful people who were the subject of their FOI request or their followers.”

“This will practically make people scared from employing FOI against corrupt public officials,” the former Bayan Muna representative said.

“The Data Privacy Act is not defense enough to protect users as evidenced by the numerous data breaches like the Comelec, Grab and now FOI data breaches,” the lawyer added. /cbb