Facebook outage affects Philippine users

MANILA, Philippines — Facebook users in the Philippines were among those affected by the server outage that hit the social media company late Tuesday night.

Netizens in areas affected by the Facebook outage turned to Twitter to report issues using the hashtag #facebookdown.

An outage map released by website downdetector.com showed that the Philippines was among those affected by the problem.

It also received reports from users in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, the United States and Hong Kong,  among others.

“We know some people are having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” Facebook said in a statement.

“A bug in our server caused some people to have trouble accessing our apps. The issue has since been resolved – we’re back to 100 percent for everyone – and we’re sorry for the inconvenience,” it added in an update yesterday morning.

Reports said the outage also affected other Facebook-owned platforms, including Instagram and What’s App.

The company has yet to release data on the number of users affected by the outage.

Tuesday’s outage was the second that occurred this month, according to a report on NBC News. The social network experienced problems more than a week ago.

Facebook said that outage was due to a “routine test.”

NPC reminds tourism sector

Meanwhile, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) called on the travel and tourism sector to be extra mindful of data privacy and protection and comply with the Data Privacy Law of 2012.

Privacy commissioner Raymund Liboro specifically cited travel agencies that handle substantial personal and financial data of people who are applying for passports and foreign visas, to ensure they have strong measures for the protection of the data that go under their control.

Liboro said airlines and hotels also handle substantial personal data of both local and foreign nationals that are sought by identity thieves and other cyber criminals.

“They are naturally exposed to risks of collecting information from citizens even of other jurisdictions,” Liboro told The STAR.

“They collect a lot of data, sensitive data. Passport numbers are very sensitive data. Some of them even collect medical data. So, as an industry, they should be very proactive in guarding the personal data of their clients,” he added.

The call was made by Liboro at the 20th Data Protection Officers Assembly (DPO20) held last Tuesday at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center, emphasizing the need to mitigate risks as the sector becomes increasingly dependent on advances in technology.

The definitive outcome of compliance, according to the commissioner, will also ensure Philippine tourism’s stable growth, continued contribution to national economic progress and increasing global competitiveness.

“Data privacy compliance is a must for all organizations that collect and process personal data. The assumption of your responsibility in protecting tourists’ data – from acquisition, storage to transfer – not only allows them to enjoy that sense of peace of mind while on travel and leisure, but also strengthens your brand as a company that puts its customer’s welfare above all else,” he said. – With Rainier Allan Ronda