Digital advocacy network seeks NPC probe on personalized spam texts

A network of digital advocates is asking the National Privacy Commission to investigate spam texts with the names of the recipients included in the text.

Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo said that the NPC should immediately address the concerns of the spam text recipients as they are worried as to how the sender was able to know their identity in what seemed like a “personalized spam text”.

“We are alarmed by what seems to be a personalized spam text from yet another online gambling site. We would like to know as to how an online gambling company, with an address based in London, was able to know the names of their recipients.”

The message is inviting the recepients to clink a link which will be redirected to an online gambling site, HXFXGlobal.  According to their website, they are based in Warwick, London.

Gustilo is asking the NPC to investigate how the personal information of recepients got into the hands of spammers. Digital Pinoys previously sought an investigation against spam texts from BingoPlus, also an online gambling platform.

“We are deeply concerned as to how a foreign online gambling platform possibly gotten hold of Filipino personal information. NPC should launch an investigation as soon as possible and find out if there was any mishandling leading to a data breach or data leak from an entity.”

Gustilo also told the NPC that the agency should find out and immediately seek prosecution if there are cohorts based locally and whether local companies collecting personal information are selling these data to third-parties.

“The people deserve to be assured that their personal information is safe and secured. NPC should prosecute those found to have a hand in this operation. We must not take this lightly as this may lead to bigger problems in the future.”