NPC probes data breach

MANILA, Philippines — The National Privacy Commission is investigating a report that 69 gigabytes of database backups of overseas employment systems were illegally copied, NPC spokesperson Roren Chin said.

According to Chin, the NPC is coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers about the incident.

“The National Privacy Commission is aware of the matter and is conducting an investigation to assess the facts and circumstances of the incident and determine whether any violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 have occurred,” Chin said.

The probe is in response to a report by cybersecurity research firm Hunt.io, which said it recovered file names related to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

There is no word on the status of the files after they were copied.

Chin said they want to ensure that data privacy concerns are addressed and the rights and interests of data safeguarded.