Privacy concerns raised over new police ‘Know Your Rights’ app

Photo from ABS-CBN News
Photo from ABS-CBN News

The Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Know Your Rights app was launched on Sunday, but already, concerns are being raised over the information it is trying to access.

Manila Bulletin Tech Editor Art Samaniego Jr. first posted these concerns on his Facebook page on Monday.

“If its purpose is just to ‘provide relevant information for the general public and all PNP personnel on human rights’ then, why does it need to access my SMS, check my phone logs and view and use my photos and videos?” he said.

The PNP called the app the “first of its kind” when it launched on Sunday.

“Through the ‘Know Your Rights’ mobile application, all human rights advisories and policies crafted by the PNP, including the contents of the New Miranda Warning Pocket Card with Anti-Torture Reminders, can be downloaded, stored in all Android smartphones,” Chief Superintendent Dennis Siervo, head of the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office, said.

The PNP have been accused of human rights violations in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, where the government said, over 3,000 have been killed in sanctioned police operations. Human rights organizations put the number of people killed at around 13,000.

The app asks for permission to access users’ photos, videos, phone numbers, text messages, and phone contacts.

Samaniego questions the need for police to access this information if the point of the app is purely informational.

He also pointed out code from the app that includes a “backdoor” mention.


According to Rappler, a “backdoor” can allow a developer to install other apps onto or bypass encryption in a phone without consent. Although Samaniego said it could be a “joke” and the backdoor code may not be operational.

PNP has not yet responded to media questions over privacy concerns of their app.



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on