PNP monitoring of social media OK with Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang does not see anything illegal with the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s plan to monitor social media for quarantine violations, a move that some sectors fear would lead to invasion of privacy.

Last Saturday, Joint Task Force COVID Shield chief police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said all police commanders have been instructed to check social networking sites and find people who disregarded quarantine measures.

He said photos showing breach of health protocols could be used as pieces of evidence to warn, fine, or summon violators.

But some critics have questioned the plan, saying social media posts cannot be monitored without approval from the courts. They also claimed that the monitoring of social networks could violate one’s right to privacy.

“With regard to the monitoring of social media, if it is posted, then it becomes a sort of a waiver of privacy,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said at a press briefing.

He added that it “is just an instance of the police using technology.”

“When it comes to investigation, the checking of social media is encouraged, the checking of cellphones is now SOP (standard operating procedure) especially in developed countries,” Roque noted.

He also said that social media monitoring is not included in the list of cybercrimes.

“Monitoring (social media) is not illegal. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,” the Palace spokesman said.

However, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) cautioned that the plan must recognize the data privacy rights of individuals.

“In keeping communities safe in this pandemic, leads and evidence gathered from social media and other digital tools to enforce the law must be legally obtained,” said privacy commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro in a statement yesterday.

“By monitoring social media, the police must use techniques that are not privacy intrusive. Law enforcers should be trained to use the medium effectively and reliably to build the confidence and trust of the public, especially netizens,” he elaborated.

The privacy commissioner said that it was essential for the police to allay the fears of the community by explaining the measures they employ in enforcing quarantine rules and evaluating possible violators, how they observe the rights of the citizens, and how they mitigate the risks to individual privacy. – Rainier Allan Ronda