Philippines
Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173)
The Philippines' Data Privacy Act defines sensitive personal information to include health, genetic data and government-issued identifiers, and that definition does not name biometric data. The National Privacy Commission still applies the Act to biometrics. On October 8, 2025, it ordered Tools for Humanity to stop all processing tied to the World App and Orb in the Philippines, including iris scans. It found that paying people for scans made their consent invalid, and that collecting iris patterns was excessive.
Key Provisions
- Processing personal information requires consent or another basis in the Act
- The definition of sensitive personal information does not name biometric data
- NPC treats iris patterns and similar identifiers as permanent, high-risk data
- Offering money in exchange for biometric data can make consent invalid
- The NPC can issue cease and desist orders
Your Biometric Rights
- Right to be informed about processing
- Right to reasonable access to your personal information
- Right to dispute errors and have them corrected
- Right to suspend, withdraw or order blocking, removal or destruction of your data
- Right to damages
- Right to complain to the National Privacy Commission
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Unauthorized processing of personal information: 1 to 3 years in prison and a fine of PHP 500,000 to PHP 2 million. Unauthorized processing of sensitive personal information: 3 to 6 years in prison and a fine of PHP 500,000 to PHP 4 million.
What We Do Here
We file opt-out requests on your behalf with the face search engines we support, and re-file as necessary. The Data Privacy Act gives people rights including asking for removal or destruction of their data. We file through each engine's own opt-out process rather than under the Act, and a complaint to the National Privacy Commission is yours to make.
Get ProtectedOfficial sources
Government, regulator, court and parliament pages we checked this page against. This is general information, not legal advice.