Data Privacy
Your personal data is valuable, to you and to scammers. And at work, you also handle other people's data. Protecting both is everyone's job. So don't mess up!
Why it matters?
Scammers use personal data to trick you, open accounts in your name, or target people around you. In the Philippines, the Data Privacy Act (RA 10173) protects personal data. Mishandling it can have legal consequences, and not just for the company.
What counts as personal data?
- Personal information: anything that can identify you. Name, email, phone number, address, photos, or your job title plus company.
- Sensitive personal information: needs extra care. Government IDs (like a driver's license or TIN), health info, age or birthdate, marital status, and religion.
Your rights
Your data belongs to you. Under the Data Privacy Act, you can:
- Ask a company what data they have on you.
- Ask them to fix wrong info.
- Object to how it's used, or ask for it to be deleted in some cases.
- File a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) if it's mishandled.
Working with a European company? You'll probably also run into the EU's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). It's the European version of the same idea, and it gives people very similar rights over their data.
How to protect your data (and others')
- Think before you share. Does this form really need your birthdate or ID?
- Don't post your ID, boarding pass, or tickets with QR codes on social media.
- At work, only access the data you need for your job.
- Don't copy work data into personal apps, emails, or chats.
- Use BCC when emailing a big group of people outside your team.
- Share files with restricted access, not "anyone with the link."
- Shred papers with personal info. Don't just throw them away.
A breach isn't always a hack
A data breach can be as simple as:
- Sending an email to the wrong person.
- CC-ing a whole list instead of BCC.
- Attaching the wrong file.
- Losing a phone or laptop with work data on it. See Device Security.
What if something goes wrong?
- Made a mistake with someone's data? Tell IT or your supervisor right away. Speed matters more than blame.
- Think a company leaked your data? Change your passwords, watch out for scam messages, and you can report it to the NPC.