Manila Bulletin
'Media was right': Lawmakers confirm data breach, hacking of voters' info
Senator Imee Marcos confirmed a security breach in Smartmatic's operations, the technology provider for the upcoming May 2022 elections.
The breach, currently under investigation by agencies like the NBI and CICC, is admitted by Marcos to have seriously compromised Smartmatic's processes and operations.
Senator Marcos indicated that sensitive data, including personal information, ledgers, office photos, and contact details of Comelec personnel, may have been accessed.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto stated that while Marcos didn't call it hacking, it "technically, it was a hacking."
Lawmakers made the confirmation after three hearings, including a closed-door session with various agencies and poll watchdog groups.
Marcos acknowledged the media's role in uncovering the breach, stating, "Art Samaniego, Manila Bulletin, and the media have been the best watchdog."
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Smartmatic has denied allegations of a personal data breach, stating their contract is solely to provide the automated election system for the May 2022 polls and they are not involved in processing or storing voter personal data.
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The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo is urging the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate a claimed "security breach" in Smartmatic's election system servers.
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Authorities are investigating whether other Smartmatic employees were involved in the alleged data breach, following the apprehension of one employee.
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Presidential candidate Senator Manny Pacquiao urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure the integrity of the upcoming May elections, particularly in light of alleged data breach concerns.
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The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has in its custody a former Smartmatic employee implicated in a supposed security breach.
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