Digital Rights Roundup (November 1 to 30, 2025)
Digital Rights Roundup (November 1 to 30, 2025
DICT CALLS ON PUBLIC TO BE WARY OF ONLINE SOURCES
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is urging every Filipino to be critical of the information they read and share online, saying the cautious use of digital platforms is key to a safe and reliable digital nation.
STATE MEDIA URGED TO HARNESS AI FOR PEOPLE-CENTERED COMMUNICATION
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary for Broadcast and Digital Media Mon Ilagan on urged members of the Integrated State Media (ISM) to embrace and harness artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to enhance storytelling, public engagement, and timely delivery of people-centered information.
DICT SIGNS KONEKTADONG PINOY ACT IRR TO DELIVER FASTER, CHEAPER INTERNET FOR ALL FILIPINOS BY 2028
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday, November 5, announced that it has officially signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Konektadong Pinoy Act — marking a historic step toward ensuring that every Filipino has access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet.
GOV’T HEIGHTENS DRIVE VS ONLINE CHILD ABUSE, EXPLOITATION
In a Bagong Pilipinas interview, CWC Executive Director and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Angelo Tapales said the month-long celebration aims to strengthen public awareness and encourage collective action to safeguard the rights of children.
PNP UPS CYBERSECURITY MEASURES AMID POSSIBLE DDOS CYBERATTACKS
This came as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) warned of possible Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on Nov. 5, targeting various websites and networks.
NPC WARNS: MISUSE OR LEAK OF SALN DATA VIOLATES PRIVACY LAW
The agency said the public’s right to transparency must be balanced with each government official’s right to privacy—leaving the Ombudsman’s new rule restoring public access to SALNs still hindered by red tape.
DILG PROBING ALLEGED DATA BREACH
This came after Scamwatch Pilipinas co-founder Art Samaniego Jr. warned of a possible large-scale government data breach, specifically targeting the DILG. In a Facebook post, Samaniego wrote that he received information that around 400 gigabytes of data were allegedly exfiltrated in the DILG breach.
PBBM, CLOONEYS TACKLE PRESS FREEDOM, ETHICAL USE OF AI
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with award-winning actor and humanitarian activist George Clooney and international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to discuss shared efforts to advance press freedom and promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI).
BULATLAT’S VICTORY VS DUTERTE-TIME BLOCKING ORDER ALSO A WIN FOR PRESS FREEDOM
It was a long three-year fight for Bulatlat, but it all ended with a court decision that voided the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) memorandum that blocked the outlet’s website.
PHILIPPINES’ DIGITAL BOOM UNDER THREAT: AI LAG COULD COST BILLIONS
The Philippine digital economy is poised for significant expansion, forecast to reach a gross merchandise value (GMV) of $36 billion by 2025, with a sustained 16 percent growth rate. However, this robust expansion is overshadowed by a critical imbalance in Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness, according to Google Philippines Country Manager Prep Palacios.
PHILIPPINES’ DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS ‘DECLINING,’ SAYS DICT CHIEF AGUDA
The country’s digital economy peaked in 2021, accounting for 8.4% of its GDP, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Aguda said, it has remained stagnant since then as Singapore soared to 25%, Malaysia at over 20%, and Vietnam at 18%.
RAPPLER SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS DANGERS OF AI, NEED FOR GOV’T INTERVENTION
Carole Cadwalladr, the British journalist who exposed the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2018, said the world has “done nothing” to hold to account the technology that can be weaponized and abused, since the consulting firm used data of millions of Facebook users to assist the 2016 presidential bid of Donald Trump.
OVER 3K DETAINED FOR ONLINE SEX CRIMES IN PAST YEAR
The National Police Agency (NPA) has detected 3,411 online sexual abuse cases between November 2024 and October this year, effectively detaining 3,557 people in total. Of them, 221 were formally arrested.
PH EYES STRONGER AI, CYBERSECURITY PARTNERSHIP WITH GLOBAL ALLIES
Japan, Canada, Australia, the United States, and the European Union (EU) have expressed support for the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity capabilities, their envoys said Thursday.
GATCHALIAN URGES DICT, NTC TO INTENSIFY DRIVE VS. SCAMMERS
In a statement, Gatchalian cited the need for the government to crack down on the rampant sale of pre-registered SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards, warning that these are being widely used for financial crimes and online scams, especially with the holiday season approaching when scammers are expected to prey on more victims.
PHILIPPINE ONLINE FRAUD CASES DROP IN 2025
“Ligtas ang may alam.” Cases of online fraud in the Philippines have dropped this year as more people have become knowledgeable about different online scams conducted by cybercriminals.
PNP REPORTS DECLINE IN ONLINE SCAM CASES, BUT VOWS TO STEP UP CYBERSPACE PRESENCE
Despite the reported decline in cybercrime cases, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will remain vigilant and proactive in combating online scams especially in time for the Yuletide season.
MARCOS CALLS FOR STRONGER REGIONAL LEGAL COORDINATION VS CYBERCRIMES, AI USE
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday called on law ministers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to strengthen cooperation in combating cybercrimes and addressing issues on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
EJERCITO PUSHES ‘EMMAN ATIENZA BILL’ VS CYBERBULLYING, FAKE NEWS
Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito has filed a bill seeking to address the growing wave of cyberbullying, fake news, and online defamation in the country, especially against vulnerable users such as the youth.
CYBERCRIME WATCHDOG TO USE DIGITAL PINOYS’ ANTI-ILLEGAL GAMBLING SOFTWARE
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) will use a software to track illegal online gambling sites as part of efforts to curb unlicensed gaming firms online. The said software was created and donated by Digital Pinoys, a network of digital advocates.
STRONGER CYBERSECURITY URGED TO BOOST FINTECH RESILIENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES
Speakers stressed the need for stronger cybersecurity programs to address workforce challenges, narrow the skills gap, and strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors.
CLOUDFARE OUTAGE HIGHLIGHTS URGENT NEED FOR PHILIPPINE CYBERSECURITY STRUCTURE, SAYS VILLAFUERTES
Camarines Sur 5th district Rep. Migz Villafuerte and 2nd district Rep. Luigi Villafuerte pointed to the recent, crippling Cloudflare service outage as potential impetus for the Philippines to come up with its own national cybersecurity structure.
PH NEEDS TO ‘TAKE ADVANTAGE’ OF AI, MARCOS JR. SAYS
The Philippines needs to “take advantage” of artificial intelligence (AI) “as much as we can” and “as soon as we can” as technology rapidly changes, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Saturday, after Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders tackled concerns over the responsible and fair use of AI.
FILIPINO USERS LEAVE APPS DUE TO AI-POWERED SCAMS
About 74.7% of Philippine users say they have abandoned an app over fraud or security concerns, Appdome said in its Consumer Expectations of Mobile App Security report. Identity theft is the top fear for mobile shoppers, with 43.4% citing it as their biggest risk, while more than a third said they or someone they know had fallen victim to social engineering scams.
PNP MONITORING FAKE NEWS IN SOCMED POSTS
The Philippine National Police has been ordered to monitor and crack down on social media posts spreading fake news about the protest rallies against corruption beginning Sunday and expected to end Tuesday.
SC: NO VIOLATION OF VLOGGERS’ RIGHTS WHEN HOUSE INVITED THEM TO DISINFORMATION PROBE
The Supreme Court ruled that the House of Representatives did not violate vloggers’ free-speech rights when it invited them to a congressional inquiry on disinformation, according to a decision made public on Thursday, November 13.
PCO TO CONGRESS: BILL VS FAKE NEWS SHOULD CONSIDER SOURCES’ MOTIVES
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) urged lawmakers Tuesday to pass an anti-fake news bill that clearly delineates between malicious intent and protected speech as Congress again attempts to enact a measure that criminalizes false information.
WHY JOURNALISM IS MORE THAN AN INFORMATION SOURCE IN CRITICAL TIMES FOR THE WORLD
Apart from fulfilling its role in providing the public with the information they need, journalism remains vital in these critical times for democracy because it can move people to action and help hold oppressors accountable.
UNESCO LAUNCHES MULTIMEDIA TOOLKIT TO STRENGTHEN MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY IN MEDIA
The toolkit aims to help media outlets empower, engage and better inform audiences through the integration of Media and Information Literacy into editorial practices and organizational strategies.
QC IS UNESCO PILOT MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY CITY, SAYS BELMONTE
The mayor gave the statement following the recent designation of Quezon City as one of the Pilot Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Cities collaborating wIth UNESCO, which recognizes cities all over the world for their pioneering efforts to integrate media and information literacy in local governance, education, culture, and digital innovation.
DEARTH OF TEACHER EXPERTISE SEEN HINDERING PUSH FOR MEDIA LITERACY
The Department of Education (DepEd) said the revamped basic education curriculum that includes courses in media and information literacy (MIL) is running into obstacles due to the shortage of trained teachers.
MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. President and CEO Jane Jimenez-Basas urged collaboration across sectors to strengthen the fight against misinformation and disinformation, and promote critical thinking among Filipinos.
FILIPINO CONSUMERS EMBRACE AI AS MEDIA LANDSCAPE RAPIDLY SHIFTS
A forum hosted by global media company WPP Media Philippines on Friday brought industry leaders together to discuss how rapid technological shifts are reshaping communication, consumer behavior, and brand strategies.
THE PHILIPPINES: EXPANDED DICT–UNDP PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENS DIGITAL INCLUSION
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership to advance inclusive digital development through Digital Bayanihan: Expanding DICT–UNDP Support for Inclusive Connectivity.
DICT FAST-TRACKS FREE WI-FI EXPANSION VIA ‘BAYANIHAN SIM PROJECT’
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is looking to accelerate the expansion of free Wi-Fi access and improved digital connectivity through the “Juansim ng Bayan Program (JBP) – Bayanihan SIM Project.”
DICT, UP LAUNCH ‘OPLAN PASKONG SIGURADO’ FOR SAFER ONLINE SPACE
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the program is focused on a safer online space for Filipinos and the development of more cybersecurity professionals. He pointed out that as the digital activity of Filipinos continues to increase, government protection also needs to be strengthened.
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