The Makati City local government assured its residents Wednesday, July 6, that their personal information on its Covid-19 relief portal "Proud Makatizen" are fully protected.
Makati City spokesperson Atty. Michael Camiña made the assurance following the publication of a news article alleging a data breach on the local government’s website.
“There was no data breach with the data servers of the Makati City Government. The subject system alleged to have been breached was a former development server containing fictitious test data. It is no longer online,” Camiña said in a statement.
He added that “no actual personal data has been compromised,” contrary to a published article.
"It is highly irresponsible to claim such a breach and then proceed to make a sweeping conclusion that the city government has been remiss in its responsibility to protect personal data," he further said.
The spokesperson noted that the report also made "baseless and outrightly false assertions on the supposed number of Makatizens whose data have been compromised, as well as sensitive corporate information that may have been exposed."
"These irresponsible statements can potentially create undue panic among Makatizens and the business establishments on the safety of their personal and corporate data entrusted to the city government," Camiña said.
The spokesperson assured the Makatizens that the city government is committed to protect their personal information.