2 months ago
39
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Composite photo shows the logos of Jollibee Foods Corp. and Viber Inc.
Jollibee, Viber via FB
MANILA, Philippines — Did a Jollibee pop-up ad catch you by surprise when you opened a Viber conversation over Christmas? The National Privacy Commission (NPC) is now questioning its digital marketing strategy.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 6, the NPC said it has received a number of user complaints regarding the “Buo ang Saya ng Pasko” Christmas campaign of Jollibee Foods Corp. on Viber.
The commission has already asked Viber and Jollibee Foods Corp. to explain how the pop-up ads were implemented as part of its investigation into whether the digital campaign violated the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The Jollibee ad, resembling a sticker greeting when the word “Christmas” was typed, popped up in private conversations. It took a second or two to remove them from your screen.
AlfaMart Chief Operating Officer Harvey Ong said in a LinkedIn post last week that the sticker ad was “unwanted, excessive and intrusive.”
“The bigger issue was not the message. It’s the location. They should have stayed off private space,” he added.
This, the NPC said, raised questions about the possible and “unsolicited processing of personal data.”
“It appears that branded marketing materials, including automated greetings and digital stickers, have appeared within private chat interfaces,” the commission said.
The NPC added that the law requires personal information controllers to keep the processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes “grounded on the fundamental principles of transparency, legitimate purpose and proportionality.”
In other words, users must be informed and asked for consent if any of their personal data is to be used for marketing purposes, and they must be given the right to refuse or opt out of such processing.
Jollibee and Viber have yet to submit their response or issue a public statement to clarify the digital marketing strategy that mostly drew in questions from the public.
