MANILA – The government wants the role of its official contact-tracing app, StaySafe.PH, to be “limited” to data collection amid privacy concerns aired by information technology (IT) experts and groups, Malacañang said on Thursday.
This comes after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved a resolution directing the Department of Health (DOH) and Multisys Technology Corp. (Multisys), developer of the StaySafe.PH app, to ink a memorandum of agreement regarding the donation and use of the app, including the source code, all data, data ownership, and intellectual property involved.
Under the resolution, the IATF-EID said the DOH would accept the StaySafe.PH application upon the issuance by the Department of Information and Communications Technology
(DICT) and the National Privacy Commission of a certification that the donation is technically feasible and secure, that systems are compatible, and that the arrangement is compliant with data privacy laws.
The function of StaySafe.PH app will be limited to the collection of data while all data collected will be stored in the DOH’s Covid-Kaya system. All data currently in the database of StaySafe.PH will be migrated to Covid-Kaya.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained that Multisys would be given 30 days from the date of the resolution to comply with the directives.
If Multisys fails to comply, Roque said StaySafe.PH would be withdrawn and Multisys would migrate the data collected and stored in StaySafe.PH to the DICT.
“Ibig sabihin po lahat po ng mga nirereklamo ng mga kritiko ng StaySafe.PH, lahat po ‘yan ay binigyang atensyon ng IATF at ang gobyerno po ang magmamay-ari ng data (This means that the IATF heard the complaints of critics on StaySafe.PH and the government will now own all data),” he said in a virtual presser.
Rio's claim 'speculative'
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, former DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. claimed that the StaySafe.PH app was accepted by the IATF-EID “without any technical vetting.”
Rio said he prepared a central platform that would “integrate and operationalize all Covid-19 data being generated by different agencies.”
However, he said his recommendation was disregarded by the IATF-EID.
Roque explained that Rio’s proposal was ignored because it still needed to be developed while the StaySafe.PH app was already readily available as a contact tracing app for individuals possibly infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“IATF had to make a decision quickly and they decided that the only available technology then was StaySafe.ph. Totoo po may proposal siya pero ang problema sa proposal niya eh gagawin pa po, iyan po ang aking pagkakaintindi (It’s true he had a proposal but the problem is, his proposal still needed to be developed. That is how I understand it),” he said.
Roque further said that Rio himself helped select the StaySafe.PH app since he was present during the IATF-EID meetings during that time.
He, meanwhile, dismissed as “speculative” Rio’s claim that apprehension over the StaySafe.PH app was the reason why he was eased out of DICT.
Rio resigned on his own accord and never withdrew his resignation, Roque said.
Earlier, he assured that the StaySafe.PH app has adequate standards to prevent the misuse or abuse of data of individuals who registered for the app.
“Mayroon pong sapat na safeguard ‘no, dahil pati iyong ating (There are enough safeguards because even our) Cyber-Libel Law will be the ultimate protection for the people. So kapag ginamit po iyan for espionage eh pupuwede po iyang maging basehan for criminal prosecution (So if it is used for espionage, that could be a basis for criminal prosecution)," Roque said.
Contact tracers
Citing Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Roque said the hiring of contact tracers is expected to start in July.
Año said the government plans to hire some 50,000 tracers.
Based on President Rodrigo Duterte’s 11th report to Congress on the government's Covid-19 response efforts, the DOH continues to train potential contact tracers and ensures that all regional and epidemiology and surveillance units (RESUs) have at least one personnel trained on contact tracing.
As of June 4, a total of 15,386 contact tracers been trained.
Roque earlier said public utility jeepney drivers are being eyed as contact tracers since the country needs to hire about 120,000 contact tracers nationwide to augment the existing 30,000 contact tracers. (PNA)
