Yes, web scraping is legal in the Philippines but strictly bound by data privacy, intellectual property, and contract laws. The Data Privacy Act of 2012 and emerging 2026 National Cybersecurity Guidelines impose obligations on entities handling scraped data, while the Intellectual Property Code governs unauthorized extraction of proprietary content. Compliance hinges on purpose, consent, and adherence to platform terms of service.
Key Regulations for Web Scraping in Philippines
- Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173): Mandates that personal data processing—including scraping—must comply with principles of transparency, legitimate purpose, and proportionality. Controllers must register with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) if processing exceeds thresholds, and scraping for direct marketing without consent risks administrative penalties under NPC Circulars.
- Intellectual Property Code (Republic Act No. 8293): Prohibits scraping of copyrighted material without authorization. Automated extraction of databases or creative works may constitute infringement under Section 172, especially if the data is protected as a compilation or derivative work.
- Electronic Commerce Act (Republic Act No. 8792): Imposes restrictions on scraping that circumvent technical protection measures (e.g., CAPTCHAs, rate limits) under Section 33. Unauthorized access to computer systems to extract data may trigger liability under the Cybercrime Prevention Act (Republic Act No. 10175), particularly for large-scale or malicious scraping.