With the public health emergency that the country is facing today, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) supports the adoption of the work from home (WFH) setup, a type of telecommuting or the use of telecommunications and/or computer technologies while working from an alternative workplace. WFH is believed to be a viable strategy in balancing the need to protect health and well-being of an organization's workforce while continuing its operations and service delivery to the public.

As we commemorate this year's Data Privacy Week with the theme “Enabling Trust in the New Normal; Re-imagining Privacy in the Time of Pandemic”, the NPC reminds organizations that WFH is not risk-free. Potential dangers that come with working remotely include the unauthorized access to and improper disposal of documents containing personal data due to unprotected home devices and physical files among others.

Through NPC Bulletin No. 12, the Commission likewise stressed that personal data should be accorded the same high level of protection as required by the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

In this line, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), a certified compliant with the Data Privacy Act, upholds the guidelines recommended by the NPC on safeguarding personal data while implementing WFH setup. The Institute has secured its employees with a platform via G Suite for communication. Moreover, ATI data privacy officers continuously advise its network of training centers with protocols and updates on the protection of every client’s and members’ right to privacy.

PAW is a national celebration of data privacy rights in the Philippines aimed at advancing protection of personal information while ensuring the free flow of information. Join the virtual celebration of the Data Privacy Awareness Week 2020 on May 29. Visit NPC at www.privacy.gov.ph or follow them on Facebook (@privacy.gov.ph) for more details.