Data privacy, security measures in place for nat’l ID system: PSA

MANILA – Security measures are in place for the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) project to protect data privacy of the registrants, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said on Friday.

Mapa said the data collected under the PhilSys registration remains private and safe.

“PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) prioritizes the privacy, security, and integrity of the registered person’s data in the PhilSys through the adoption of privacy by design principles wherein privacy is incorporated into its technologies by default and from the start,” he said in a statement posted on PhilSys’ official Facebook page.

Mapa emphasized that the PSA has adopted a complex privacy-protective system for data protection.

“The registrants remain the owner of the data in the PhilSys registry and their personal data will not be used without their consent,” said Mapa.

Mapa earlier said the total budget for the implementation of PhilSys includes the protection of the data collected by the registration officers.

“Part of the PhilSys budget is [really] on the protection of the data including our cybersecurity,” he added.

The privacy-by-design features ensure that ID holders have full control over the access and use of their personal data, he said.

The Data Privacy Act of 2012 and the PhilSys Act have strict controls over the circumstances where data in the PhilSys registry can be accessed and shared.

The PhilSys Data Privacy Manual, as well as the Data Governance Framework, will further outline the privacy and data protection protocols and standards that will govern PhilSys operations.

The PSA has designated Data Privacy Officers – one for PSA and one solely for the PhilSys.

Meanwhile, Deputy National Statistician and PSA Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista earlier said the PhilSys has sufficient safeguards to ensure the safety, security, and data privacy of the registry information.

The implementation of PhilSys is anchored with the whole-of-government approach to ensure that the Data Privacy Act of 2012 is strictly observed, she added.

Bautista assured that the system has undergone a stringent privacy impact assessment to ensure the protection of the collected data and information.

“Not even our employees can really see the data,” she said.

She noted that once the data are collected during the Step 1 process, the information will automatically be encrypted.

Bautista assured that the only “person who can provide data stored in the PhilSys registry, remains to be the owner of the data.”

Signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.

It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions.