42 MILLION PEOPLE POSSIBLY AFFECTED BY 2023 PHILHEALTH DATA BREACH

The NPC said the affected individuals should be informed of the nature of the breach, how it happened, the data compromised, and protection measures.

#IFJBLOG: STANDING WITH THE UNION DESPITE RED-TAGGING

Despite promises of change under the Marcos Jr government, state forces in the Philippines have continued to target journalists, unionists, and human rights defenders through ‘red-tagging’. Lian Buan, a former National Director with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) speaks on a new report from the union detailing how this practice survives today, how it is weaponized against our colleagues, and what we can do to fight against it.

KEEP PROMISE ON RIGHTS, PRESS FREEDOM, MARCOS URGED

Conveners of the 1st Philippine Media Safety Summit called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to take concrete steps to support a critical press, noting that he once said this “best serves national interest.”

MEDIA GROUPS’ SONA WISHLIST: DECRIMINALIZE LIBEL, PASS FOI LAW, END RED TAGGING

The conveners of the 1st Philippine Media Safety Summit asked Marcos to keep his promise of supporting a “press that is critical” by including these in his SONA legislative priority.

PHILHEALTH LAUNCHES EPHILHEALTH PLATFORM TO ENHANCE DIGITAL SERVICES

Through the integration of PhilHealth services into the eGovPH app, this initiative aligns with the Ease of Doing Business Act, making transactions more convenient and efficient for Filipinos.

SURFING THE WEB FOR EFFECTIVE CONTENT REGULATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Online content regulation is a priority for Southeast Asia as the region undergoes a digital transformation coupled with the proliferation of harmful and illegal online content.

PH NEEDS TO INVEST MORE IN DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE, SAYS ADVOCACY GROUP

“The country needs to invest more in digital foundation, as addressing the broadband infrastructure gap between the Philippines and other neighboring countries will help empower people and industries in the internet world,” CitizenWatch PH lead convenor Orlando Oxales said.

COMMUNITY NETWORKS NEWSLETTER: FOSTERING A COMMUNITY-CENTRED APPROACH TO TACKLE THE DIGITAL DIVIDES

Many digital divides persist today, to the point that a third of the world’s population is still offline. [This] issue highlights a new video from the Local Networks initiative showing how a growing number of communities are taking action to overcome these divides while defending their fundamental rights and well-being.

US, PHILIPPINES TO PURSUE DEEPER CYBERSECURITY COOPERATION

The United States and the Philippines aimed to make digital and cyberspace a safe place for everyone by advancing an “open, interoperable, reliable, and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) ecosystem to support the growth of the digital economy and strengthen resilience to cybersecurity threats.”

TEODORO STRESSES NEED FOR STRONGER CYBER DEFENSES

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C.Teodoro Jr. has stressed the need for more formidable cyber defenses amid increasing incidents of attacks against cyber domains and to address critical concerns, especially in information and communications technology.

NBI PRESENTS HACKERS BEHIND GOV’T WEBSITE ATTACKS

In a press conference, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the three, identified by their internet handles “Newbiexhacker,” “Haxinja,” and “D4rkJ1n,” were arrested in operations in Tagaytay, Cavite; Quezon City; and Makati City last week.

GLOBAL CYBER OUTAGE GROUNDS FLIGHTS, HITS BANKS, TELECOMS, MEDIA

A global tech outage was disrupting operations across multiple industries on Friday, with airlines halting flights, some broadcasters off air and services from banking to healthcare hit by system problems.

INFORMATION EXEC HIGHLIGHTS GROWING THREAT OF CYBER WARFARE

Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Deputy Director-General Ares Gutierrez on Friday addressed graduates of a social media training program for military personnel, highlighting the growing threat of cyber warfare and disinformation campaigns against the Philippines.

COMELEC TO ISSUE DIGITAL IDS FOR OVERSEAS INTERNET VOTING

In a statement, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the modernized voter’s ID will only be issued to voters abroad for them to be able to register in the initial run of internet voting in the May 2025 midterm elections.

PH EYES TOP 3 IN SEA INTERNET CONNECTIVITY BY 2028

Uy noted the importance of continued investment in improving the country’s Internet connectivity to remain competitive and at par with its neighbors.

MARCOS VOWS SUPPORT FOR COMMON TOWERS TO BOOST CONNECTIVITY

Marcos added that the Philippines was upgrading the capacity and connectivity to internet access as only 20.6 million households, or 77% of the Philippine population, were connected to the internet as of 2022, which he said was “too low.”

ORGANISATIONS URGE APPROVAL OF BILL TO ENCOURAGE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, 23 organisations are calling on the country’s president to certify as urgent the proposed “Konektadong Pinoy Act”, which would entail the passage of a bill to increase private sector and community investment in broadband infrastructure and boost connectivity. 

PH NEEDS MORE INVESTMENTS TO LOWER INTERNET COST —RESEARCH FIRM

Citing a 2024 World Bank report, BMI said the Philippines has the most expensive internet connectivity among Southeast Asian countries, but is relatively slow compared to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei.

GOV’T OKS FUND FOR DIGITAL INFRA

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved a P16.1 billion budget for the establishment of digital infrastructures targeted to boost the country’s broadband connectivity, the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) said. 

BPI TO HOLD CYBERSECURITY CONFERENCE TO ‘FORTIFY CYBER-RESILIENCE IN AN AI WORLD’

In response to the escalating threat of cyber fraud and scams in the country, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) continues to ramp up the nation’s cybersecurity strategies as it spearheads the BPI Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection Conference 2024, urging Filipinos to participate and proactively combat cyberthreats in the country.

CYBERCRIME COMPLAINTS DOWN BY 35%, SAYS PNP

The PNP said the prevalence of cybercrimes was due to increased online activity, sophisticated cybercrime tactics, and the public’s lack of awareness.

GOOGLE PITCHES AI TO FIGHT SCAMS, FRAUD IN PH

While many fintech firms in the country use AI mostly for marketing purposes, Jackie Wang, country director of Google in the Philippines and Thailand, said these companies can also learn from their counterparts in other nations in using AI to detect and prevent financial crimes.

COMELEC TO REGULATE USE OF AI IN 2025 POLLS CAMPAIGN

Comelec chairperson George Garcia made this remark as the poll body officials led a forum with the stakeholders on AI to gather information and inputs on the use of the new technology during the election campaign.

MEDIAQUEST, KBP, PLDT, SMART PARTNER FOR MEDIA LITERACY

MediaQuest and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) have partnered with telco giants PLDT and Smart Communications to combat disinformation through a media and information literacy advocacy program.

TIKTOK BOOSTS SAFETY FOR FILIPINO USERS

From January to March 2024, TikTok removed 4.26 million videos in the Philippines for violating community guidelines, with most being proactively removed within 24 hours. Media literacy resources, including 12 educational videos in partnership with MediaWise, have been launched to help users navigate AI content and misinformation.

DSWD PRIORITIZES CYBERSECURITY, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN PROGRAMS

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) puts a premium in strengthening cybersecurity and in adopting innovative and transformative approaches to better serve the Filipino people, an agency official said on Thursday.

THE MANY WAYS AI COULD ENHANCE, SWAY ELECTIONS

In electoral processes, experts see AI as a tool to boost efficiency and voter engagement by leveraging big data to shape voter choices. Conversely, there are concerns that AI’s misuse could destabilize democracy, compromise political discourse, and erode public trust.

NPC AND ADI FORGE PARTNERSHIP FOR PRIVACY-ENHANCING TECHNOLOGIES

Through this partnership, NPC aims to fulfill its mandate of protecting personal data and addressing modern challenges in data privacy. The agreement shows NPC’s commitment to collaborating with the private sector to ensure that advancements in technology do not compromise data protection standards.

SONA 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR.’S 3RD STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS

The speech came ahead of the candidacy filing period in October for the 2025 midterm polls, seen as a referendum on the government’s policy direction and performance.

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