NPC, CICC to fight use of ICT for data breaches and cybercrime

MANILA, Philippines — The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has partnered with an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to combat and prevent the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for criminal and unauthorized purposes.

In a statement, the NPC said it signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to synergize these efforts.

Under the MOA, the two agencies jointly agreed to counter the use of ICTs for criminal and unauthorized purposes; and to foster interagency cooperation and resource sharing towards prevention, suppression, and prosecution of cybercrimes and data privacy breaches.

“The memorandum of agreement between the National Privacy Commission and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center is the culmination of our agencies’ mutual ambition to further protect the integrity of the Philippines’ digital transformation journey,” NPC Commissioner John Henry Naga said.

The NPC is committed to work with CICC to ensure the safe and secure integration of digital services and processes into all areas of organizations and businesses,” he added.

According to the NPC, the MOA enables effective joint action in data protection and cybercrime law, and data privacy law enforcement.

It also allows the NPC to access resources, technical expertise, and institutional and international linkages of the National Cybercrime Hub (NCH) to fulfill its mandate related to data privacy and protection.

“As part of the MOA’s compliance with the Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012, the NPC will participate in the NCH activities, which the CICC established to build a network that gathers law enforcement and government agencies, academe, industry experts, and international law enforcement and government partners for more effective inter-agency and stakeholder coordination, and resource sharing towards the prevention of cybercrimes,”the NPC said.

It said data privacy lawyers from the NPC would be assigned in the NCH to provide inputs to ensure compliance with the DPA.

In addition, the NPC shall allow resource sharing for the accomplishment of the objectives and scope of the MOA.

The NPC is the country’s privacy watchdog; an independent body mandated to administer and implement the DPA, and to monitor and ensure compliance of the country with international standards set for data protection.

Meanwhile, the CICC, which was created through Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,is one of the agencies attached to the DICT for policy and program coordination.

The CICC is responsible for the formulation of a national cybersecurity plan and extend immediate assistance for the suppression of real-time commission of cybercrime offenses through a computer emergency response team (CERT); preparation of appropriate and effective measures to prevent and suppress cybercrime activities as provided for in R.A. 10175; and the monitoring of cybercrime cases being bandied by participating law enforcement and prosecution agencies, among others.