By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
The National Privacy Commission has imposed a ban on the processing of personal data against operators of 26 online lending applications, as part of the agency’s continuing crackdown on online lenders that resort to public shaming of borrowers.
In an Order dated 18 October 2019 published yesterday, the NPC said the companies behind the 26 mobile apps failed to appear before the Commission to answer allegations filed by complainants. Since the apps continue to be available to the public for download, installation and use, the NPC decided to have them banned saying they are a “continuing threat to the rights and freedoms of data subjects.”
“In order to preserve the rights of the complainants and to protect public interest, the Commission, through its investigating officers, deems it necessary to impose a ban on the processing of personal data until the final resolution of the cases,” the Order stated.
Ordered to stop personal processing are entities behind the following online applications: Cash bus, Cash flyer, Cash warm, Cashafin, Cashaku, Cashope, Cashwhale, Credit peso, Flash Cash, JK Quickcash lending, Light Credit, Loan motto, Moola Lending, One cash, Pautang peso, Pera express, Peso now, Peso tree, Peso.ph, Pesomine, Pinoy cash, Pinoy Peso, Qcash, Sell loan, SuperCash and Utang pesos.
Operators of the 26 applications are ordered to immediately take down their online lending operations and make sure that their apps are no longer publicly available for download, installation or use.
They are also directed to stop all activities that entail processing of personal data, including those outsourced to third parties, and those that involve use of information from phonebook, directory, and contact list of data subjects, as well as disclosure of false or unwarranted information, and unduly intrusive methods of personal data processing.
The NPC is now coordinating with the National Telecommunications Commission for appropriate action, as well as with Google Play Store operator Google LLC for their compliance, in accordance with the terms and conditions of their platform.
NPC is the country's privacy watchdog, an independent body mandated to administer and implement the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and to monitor and ensure compliance of the country with international standards set for data protection. )