Comelec probes data breach amid election integrity concerns
By Lloyd Jetender Tabuno Manango
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) launched an investigation after a hacker group allegedly breached its servers and downloaded 60 gigabytes’ worth of data to be used for the 2022 national elections, the poll body announced on Monday, January 10.
The attack, which was reported and confirmed by Manila Bulletin, affected sensitive information including the usernames and personal identification numbers for vote-counting machines, sparking concerns over the possibility of manipulation in the national polls.
Unverified Claims
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez expressed the agency’s doubts on the truthfulness of the report, claiming that the evidence to support it was scant and that a number of items listed among the stolen data were not yet available for online access in their systems.
While Comelec moves to investigate the hack, there is evidence suggesting it happened, as well as precedent to grant the report credibility, according to Art. Samaniego Jr., Technology editor for the Manila Bulletin.
In a Facebook post, the veteran journalist revealed that they sent [Comelec] information and screenshots as early as January 8, three days before the report, but were ghosted by the poll body until the story made rounds online.
Samaniego recalled that Comelec similarly denied hacking reports from the news outlet last 2015, ensuring the public that their systems were safe and secure, only to confirm 5 months later that the private information of 55 million voters had been compromised.
Electoral Integrity Questioned
Makabayan lawmaker Carlos Isagani Zarate warned that this breach may destroy the credibility of the 2022 national elections, giving rise to a possible suspension of the polls in a no-elections scenario.
Similar concerns were aired by presidential frontrunners Robredo, Marcos, Pacquiao, and Lacson, who individually called on Comelec to urgently investigate the issue and take steps to maintain the integrity of the polls.
A youth organization meanwhile asserted that the integrity of the 2022 national elections was lacking to begin with, claiming that President Duterte and administration allies had links with Comelec and F2 Logistics, the company running the vote-counting machines.
The League of Filipino Students in a statement called for increased vigilance from the public, as electoral manipulation may be used by Duterte in order to escape domestic and international persecution for his countless crimes.
