An individual uploaded a live footage of the entrance to a budget hotel in Sta. Mesa, Manila on Valentine’s Day with the aim to count potential clients, raising concerns over the privacy and security of its patrons.
Screengrabs of the livestream of Facebook user Roel Sadsad circulated on the social networking platform with the caption “Tara at mag bilang (sic) ng entrees.”
Based on the screenshots, the entrance of Sunrise Budget Hotel was being surveyed on the livestream.
Facebook user Maria Antoy Rudy Carmen called out the initiative and commented that it was “borderline creepy.”
“Placing a camera outside of a motel to spy on couples/people, who enter the motel, and publicly broadcasting it on Facebook is a criminal act,” he wrote in a now-viral post.
Carmen also verified in a private message with Interaksyon that the Facebook live was “posted by” Sadsad’s account.
Other Facebook users similarly decried Sadsad’s post and commented that the budget hotel’s business might be affected following the incident.
“This will cause injury sa motel. People will now think twice going in there since may nagbo-broadcast ng video ng mga customers nila. Matakot ka sa demanda ng motel,” a Filipino wrote in the comments section of Carmen’s post as he referred to Sadsad.
Others said that Sadsad’s action was “literally (an) invasion of privacy.”
Another Facebook user claimed that the live video was Sadsad’s “joke” for them, his friends.
“Their house was right in front of that motel,” he wrote.
It was not stated how Sadsad supposedly filmed the entrance of the motel and what type of camera did he use.
The online user further said in the comments thread that it was a “video intended for a Valentine’s Day joke.”
“It was for us who gets the ‘joke’ out of it,” he continued.
The motel has not yet released a statement about the Facebook live as of writing.
Its Facebook page has already been tagged by some online users in an attempt to make them aware of Sadsad’s post.
While it was not stated how the livestream was captured, the National Privacy Commission last year said that a person whose image was recorded by a closed-circuit television or CCTV has a right to get a copy of personal data from the footage
It added that a CCTV in households “cannot be considered as being for a purely personal, family or household purpose” if it faces outwards from an individual’s private property and it captures images of individuals beyond the boundaries of such property, particularly where it monitors a public space.”
If it does, the operator of such a CCTV system will be considered a personal information controller or a PIC who is subjected to certain obligations under NPC’s 2020 advisory.
Such obligations include using the technology for “compliance with a law or regulation,” for “protection of vitally important interests of individuals,” ensuring “public order and safety” and other legitimate interests.
