Registry of Online Contest Managers

With the issues surrounding DTI Sales Promotion Permit for online campaigns and efforts made by some to create a blacklist of professional online contest joiners, it is good to know that a lot recognizes the responsibility of a contest organizer to ensure that the rules are tight enough and managed well so it won't be abused by aggressive participants.

Voluntary listing of Online Contest Managers and Contractors

I am thinking that perhaps an online registry can be created, initially on a voluntary-basis, where online contest managers, either in-house or outsourced, are listed. These are the actual people who can be doing the following at the minimum:

1. Involved in crafting contest guidelines.
2. Manage the day-to-day operations and monitoring of the contest to ensure it complies with the mechanics.

A person, in order to be of good standing, can be based on the following:

1. Minimal complaints from contest joiners when a contest goes out of line or the contest manager violate the rules of its own contest. To be in a listing, it will require recommendation from x number of parties. To be removed from the listing, it will require x number of complaints which were found to be true after investigation.
2. Respect for personal data of those who joined online contest. DTI-DAO 8 requires the protection of personal data in an information and communication system. The leakage of data, such as names and contact information of undesirable contest joiners, is a violation of this (Section 6 to 8). It also violates the Consumer Act of the Philippines. Leakage of data reflects poor enforcement of data privacy provision of the companies whose contest they have manage or of the entities they have worked or currently working for. It will be disappointing if these companies won't take any action for such. They can even be held accountable for violation of the E-Commerce Law (Section 32, 33 c & d).

Admittedly, there is no perfect online contest manager. Mistakes get committed and effort is taken to correct them or make sure the lessons get applied to future contest handled. However, I began thinking that somehow this specific segment needs to be looked at more cautiously especially when #2 just happened lately.