A study in 2014 reported that Filipinos spend an average of nine hours looking at a screen a day. Today, the number could be higher. With those hours spent online, we unknowingly encode our personal data.
We input personal data online through our social media, shopping portals, personal email, and even our online banking transactions. We also sometimes encode “sensitive personal information” online such as data on our health, education, personal bank details, our tax number, social security details, licenses, and health records. When in the wrong hands, these are prone to misuse and abuse, causing serious repercussions if not legally protected.
The formation of the National Privacy Commission gave way to the Philippine Data Privacy Act, giving us rights over our personal data and manners in which these are processed under the control of third persons. Rules have been put in place and can now be effectively enforced to protect our personal data.
