SC chief eyes control of unlawful use of data from Internet

Manila, Philippines - Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Wednesday saw the "pressing" need to address "the erosion of personal privacy" caused by the accelerated use of computer technology and other advanced information systems. In a keynote speech before a gathering of lawyers, and human rights activists in Quezon City, Puno said that judicial remedies, such as summary hearing" of unlawful use of data must address the "diminishing" ability of an individual to control the use of computer technologies, "The turn of this century has given us a new field of battle in the right to privacy — the intangible world called the Internet and the regional areas created by networks," said Puno in a forum held at Seameo Innotech in Diliman, Quezon City. "The use of computers to accumulate, store, process, retrieve, and transmit data has greatly advanced research methods. The new technology, however, poses new threats to privacy because it interferes with, and may deprive individuals of the right to control the flow of information about themselves," he added. He said computer technology, which had rapidly advanced with the global Internet system, "tend to intrude on privacy, as (it) can handle personal information by disseminating evidence of present and past actions...even without the individual's consent." Puno cited the rise in the use of biometric technologies in the Philippines, where the presence of a person "may be monitored and catalogued just by a press of a palm, or the finger, or even with the blink of an eye." He said that since March of 1996, dozens of companies in the country, including government agencies had adopted fingerscan technologies for management, payroll systems, and security access control. The chief justice also cited the use of advanced computer technologies in banks, in the handling of public records, and commercial information systems, which could be used "beyond the original public policy reason for collecting them." "Some identity thieves may even go through the trash to obtain records that reveal your name, address, and telephone number...Identity theft is a violation of the right to informational privacy and may cause one to become burdened by the wrongful use of his personal information," said Puno. - GMANews.TV