PNP may use ‘rapid pass data’ to regulate easy entry in checkpoints — Lorenzana

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) should use data of the “rapid pass system,” which speeds up vehicle inspections for frontliners and other authorized personnel during the enhanced community quarantine covering Luzon, for future “law enforcement activities,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday.

“Can we share this data with PNP for their later use? They will be manning checkpoints one way or another in Metro Manila. Maybe they have those databases then they can use them for any law enforcement activities that they would like to do and they would do in the future,” Lorenzana said in a rapid pass system launching through a virtual press conference.

Manny Caintic, Assistant Secretary of Department of Information and Communications Technology, said the rapid pass system can be shared with state forces if data privacy protocols are implemented.

-“As long as we observe the data privacy mechanisms to hand over and make sure hindi ma-fall into the wrong hands. (it won’t fall into the wrong hands),” Caintic said.

Asked about the system’s danger on data privacy, Caintic assured the public that the rapid pass system’s database would only contain anonymous data such as QR Code and cellphone numbers of authorized persons and vehicles.

“There will be a centralized database that will be posted and managed. But yung data na nandun sa device anonymized naman siya. It is only for QR Code and specific for that cellphone number,” he said.

(There will be a centralized database that will be posted and managed but the data inside the device is anonymized. It is only for QR Code and specific for that cellphone number.)

The system gives QR codes to frontliners which will be scanned to give them easy entry at control points. It will be rolled out on April 6, Monday.