Now that the dust has settled, it’s a good time to take stock of what happened with the Department of Foreign Affairs. According to initial reports, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin Jr. said that people renewing their older and non-electronic passports needed to present their birth certificates as a requirement after a French contractor, Oberthur Technologies, supposedly ran off with everyone’s data. This caused an uproar that, while it turned out to be premature, is justified. The part about an outside contractor having possession of everyone’s data was especially concerning, and one can’t get too worried or concerned when our personal information is out there.