Proposed border tech project assures data protection compliance

All traveler information collected under the proposed P10.74-billion Civil Aviation and Immigration Security Services (CAISS) project will remain stored exclusively in government data centers within the Philippines, tech firm Securiport assured.

Securiport chief technology officer Nate Carpenter disclosed on the sidelines of the 21st International Civil Aviation Organization Traveler Identification Program Symposium that strict data localization is non-negotiable for national security systems.

"The data for any national security system needs to stay in the country," Carpenter said during the conference in Montreal. "It is very important that any deployed system keeps its data in the Philippines, protected by the authorities according to all applicable laws and regulations. You do not want your data leaving the country."

The proposed CAISS project is an unsolicited public-private partnership venture submitted by U.S.-based Securiport LLC. The proposal is currently under review by the Department of Finance, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Public-Private Partnership Center.

The system aims to integrate Advance Passenger Information with Passenger Name Record data, enabling immigration and security personnel to cross-reference travel itineraries, criminal databases, and historical records prior to flight arrivals.

Carpenter cited that the system aligns with ICAO's global Digital Travel Credential standards, incorporating contactless biometric face pass technology, automated border control kiosks, and criminal record search engines.

"The data is used by the government only for its lawful purpose, and that data is not sent anywhere else," Carpenter said, adding that the platform is designed to multiply and complement existing immigration databases rather than replace them.