PNP- ACG to probe vlogger over privacy breach
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP – ACG) on Sunday said that it would investigate to determine whether vlogger Rendon Labador violated privacy laws during a police operation against an online lending company in Makati City.
The operation against the lending company, which allegedly harasses clients, was conducted on October 20.
The vlogger’s Facebook Live coverage after the operation drew ire from the relatives of the company employees when the latter’s faces were shown in the video.
“Addressing concerns about the potential violation of privacy committed by Rendon, we will thoroughly investigate this matter. If any violation is confirmed, we will take appropriate and corrective action,” PNP-ACG said.
PNP-ACG also clarified that its collaboration with Labador for his “Boses ng Bayan” program is not related to the operation.
Article continues after this advertisement“In terms of our collaboration with Rendon, it’s essential to clarify that this partnership is unrelated to the recent operation. The PNP-ACG actively collaborates with various agencies and businesses, such as GCash, Maya, Globe, Smart, PLDT, PNB, DMW (formerly POEA), and SCAM Watch Philippines (a social media page),” it said.
Article continues after this advertisement“Together, we work on public awareness campaigns to educate the public about the evolving tactics of scammers. We welcome anyone willing to collaborate with the PNP-ACG in our efforts to reach a wider audience and keep the public informed and vigilant,” it added.
PNP-ACG also said that Labador, along with major media outlets, was only given access to cover the event after the local authorities conducted their operation.
“In the spirit of transparency, we granted media access to the operation, in accordance with existing police operational protocol, without compromising the operation’s integrity. Major media networks, including v[b]loggers, were given limited access to cover the operation with utmost consideration for their personal safety,” it said.