AHEAD of the September 14 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has vowed to protect the data of registered voters.
In an interview during the launch of the Comelec Data Privacy Handbook, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body is determined more than ever to protect the privacy of registered voters’ data.
“Let’s keep in mind that even in the IT field, nothing is perfect. The methods and attempts used to breach systems are constantly evolving. That is why we are always adjusting and constantly monitoring,” Garcia said.
“We must value data privacy, especially since the data of nearly 70 million of our fellow citizens has been entrusted to us. We must safeguard and protect it,” he added.
In 2016, the group Anonymous Philippines hacked and defaced the Comelec website.
The breach resulted in hackers obtaining the personal information of more than 55 million registered voters.
Despite the incident, Comelec said it is set to reactivate its online precinct finder system ahead of the Sept. 14 polls.
Garcia said the online precinct finder system will be available on the Comelec’s official website two weeks before Election Day.
“We will have the precinct finder available again, about two weeks before the elections,” Garcia said.
The precinct finder is an online mechanism that allows voters to view their full name, place of registration, voter registration status (active, deactivated, no record or multiple records), and pertinent polling information, including their clustered precinct number and voting center, by entering their full name and date of birth.
Garcia said Comelec is seeking the approval of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the revival of the precinct finder.
“Ever since the ‘Comeleaks’ incident in 2016, the Comelec and the DICT have become extremely cautious. Any system that the Comelec rolls out or uses now requires DICT approval,” Garcia said. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
