In 2024, the country marked the 30th anniversary of the Philippine internet. First accessed in 1984, the internet has opened a wealth of opportunities for Filipinos to connect, learn, and access information. But three decades since, it has also shown how technology can deepen existing socio-political crises, especially in the Read more…
In the past, overseas Filipinos can vote by going to the Philippine Embassy or consulate to cast their votes, or through mail. It was observed however that voter turn-out is way below the number of registered overseas Filipino voters. Overseas Filipinos often face logistical difficulties when voting, arising from the Read more…
On April 23, the Foundation for Media Alternatives launched the 10-Point Digital Rights Electoral Agenda, bringing together digital rights experts, journalists, and human rights advocates whose insights produced a rich conversation that emphasized the shared responsibility of both aspiring policymakers and the electorate in protecting our digital freedoms. With the Read more…
Continuous Rise of E-commerce While scrolling through social media, it is not uncommon these days to come across advertisements from seemingly well-known stores promoting products with unbelievably huge discounts only to find out that these are impersonators tricking you into entering your bank details and credentials on their fraudulent websites. Read more…
On May 27, 2024, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) released the latest iteration of its Digital Rights Report titled “Internet Rights on the Edge: Navigating the Digital Landscape in Chaos,” which delved deep into how technology, especially the Internet, responded to the urgent crises that defined the year 2023. Read more…
Months before the turn of 2022, Filipinos already had a sense of what was coming for them. The campaign for the national elections were just starting then, and like any elections before this, the nation was split apart by controversies and false promises. The former president Rodrigo Duterte’s term was Read more…
This year-end cybercrime and human rights report for 2021 (covering the period of July to December 2021) documents cybercrime cases and developments in the Cybercrime Prevention Act (CPA) and Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) after the release of the midyear cybercrime and human rights report. In this report, other notable observations related Read more…
This report is a documentation of what transpired in 2021, specifically how human rights were impacted by technology and digital innovations in the Philippines. While we continue to experience life under the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, we also see new challenges and events such as the emergence of COVID-19 variants, Read more…
1. Introduction As the Philippines slowly rolled-out vaccines and breached the 1 million mark for cases—and the 20,000 mark for deaths—of and due to COVID-19 by midyear of 2021, Filipinos struggled to adapt to a life that is mostly moving online, regardless of who it may leave behind. Read more…
This report is a documentation of what transpired in 2020, specifically how human rights were impacted by technology and digital innovations in the Philippines. The year 2020 was definitely unique given the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought about tremendous change throughout the globe. Effects from the pandemic as well as other Read more…