Singapore, August 6, 2012-As he attends the Microsoft Southeast Asia Privacy Dialogue in Singapore today, Senator Edgardo J. Angara stressed that the country needs to urgently scale up efforts to protect personal information transmitted via the Internet and other information and communications technologies (ICT).
Angara is the main proponent of the Data Privacy Act which mandates both public and private enterprises to safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of all the personal information collected throughout their operations.
The measure, which will boost to the country’s fast-growing Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry, was recently transmitted to Malacanang for the President's signature.
“I am confident that President Aquino will sign this into law,” said Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. “But getting it enacted is only the first step—albeit a very vital one.
“To ensure the smooth implementation of the law, government agencies and private enterprises must look into how they can already incorporate international privacy principles into their systems and internal policies. For sure, some significant changes will have to be made, but that only makes it important for us to start working on them as early as now.”
The veteran lawmaker cited a white paper from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that discusses best practices on how to implement and operationalize privacy frameworks, similar to the proposals made under the Data Privacy Act.
The report proposes three principles as basic guidelines for implementation, which are: 1) Privacy by Design; 2) Simplified Consumer Choice; and 3) Transparency.
Angara explained, “Businesses and government agencies must promote the privacy of their customers or constituents throughout every step of their operations. Their data collection practices should also be clearly explained. It should also be relatively easy for consumers to express their choices on how they want their personal data handled.”
He concluded, “A lot has to be done for the country to meaningfully protect its online data. Therefore, we must build on our capacities and collaborate with our neighbors every chance we can get.”
Aside from Senator Angara, representatives from the Philippine IT-BPO industry, the academe, business leaders, as well as government ICT officials from Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, will also attend the Microsoft Southeast Asia Privacy Dialogue. (Rikka Sotto w/ Shielo Mendoza)
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