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DFA takes down online passport tracker amid data privacy issue

Philippines | National

DFA takes down online passport tracker amid data privacy issue

By Betheena Unite

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has taken down its online passport tracker following a possible data privacy issue reported by the Manila Bulletin Tuesday, Nov. 9.

(FILE PHOTO/JANSEN ROMERO/MANILA BULLETIN)

In a statement Wednesday, Nov. 10, the agency's Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) said that after it was made aware of a data privacy issue yesterday, it "has taken down the online passport tracker and all its data sources to avoid further data broadcasting."

"The DFA’s IT (Information Technology) Unit is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this issue and is taking appropriate measures to secure the data that may have been exposed," the DFA said.

"An internal audit will also be conducted to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future," it added.

READ: Misconfiguration in the DFA system exposes thousands of user data

It was bared that thousands of personally identifiable information (PII), including applicants' complete name, passport number, email address, and mobile number could be exposed due to misconfiguration in the DFA system.

This was "accidentally" discovered by a concerned citizen, who reached out to the Manila Bulletin.

The online passport tracker is a platform allowing applicants to view the status of their passport application. It was launched on Sept. 11 2021, at the height of passport application woes in the country where thousand passport applications became pending due to errors in the names and dates of birth of applicants.

The Foreign Affairs department further assured the public that "it continues to prioritize the protection and privacy of the data it handles in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2021 (Republic Act No. 10173) and is working with the National Privacy Commission in resolving this issue."

Related Tags

passport DFA data privacy 111021 ONLINE PASSPORT TRACKER

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