Consumer group Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente (BK3) yesterday called on government and the information and communications technology (ICT), and telecommunications sectors to crack down on online scams following reports of an increasing number of cybercrime victims during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, digital piracy has become more prevalent as Filipinos have been forced to work and study at home.
In a statement, BK3 convenor Louie Montemar said the exponential rise of online transactions has created a borderless hunting ground for unscrupulous criminals to prey on consumers who have just started to learn their way around the online platforms.
Montemar cited Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data which said digital payments and transactions surged by over 5,000 percent during the pandemic as people have opted to do business using e-commerce and e-payment platforms instead of face-to-face transactions.
While the Philippines has improved its internet speed, Montemar noted the importance of having secure digital space where online users and consumers are safe from scams such as phishing, smishing, and other schemes that target credit card holders and e-wallet users.
He said more private sector initiatives, such as the Digital Thumbprint Program of Globe Telecom in partnership with the Department of Education – which integrates modules on digital citizenship, online safety, and responsible use of technology in the curriculum – are needed to sustain information and communications campaign on digital security.
Montemar said netizens should be educated on how to recognize the deceptive tactics of cybercriminals such as smishing where text messages from people pretending to be from reputable companies are tricking consumers into revealing personal information such as passwords or credit card numbers.
In a press conference, Cyrus Valenzuela, executive director of the Optical Media Board (OMB) said regulating internet service providers (ISPs) as contained in a pending bill in Senate would address rampant piracy that has shifted online.
Valenzuela said the proposed Online Infringement Act or Senate Bill 497 authored by Vicente Sotto III allows the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and the National
Telecommunication to cancel the permits of ISPs that facilitate infringement over the internet.
Valenzuela said the bill has been pending at the committee level since 2019.
He said Malaysia has been successful in curbing infringement online when it authorized the blocking of ISPs known to allow digital piracy.
While normal counterfeiting — where hardware of unlicensed software are sold in discs or illegal software is pre-loaded in laptops and computers, Valenzuela said the number one problem now is online piracy of software.
He said hundreds of thousands of ware sites are offering unlimited downloads.
Valenzuela said the rise in online piracy has been noted since the pandemic struck when Filipinos have been forced to work or study from home.
He cited a 2018 study by the Business Software Alliance which said 64 percent of enterprises in the Philippines use illegal software.
He said illegal software poses risks to a company’s operations from data crashing to lack of technical support. The use of unlicensed software can ruin a company’s reputation, he added.
On a bigger scale, Valenzuela said rampant piracy will discourage investments in research and development in software.
Valenzuela also said specialized firms like those in engineering and architecture
may not be using original software needed for their special needs like Adobe and Autodesk which are known to be the most pirated software in these fields.
BSA | The Software Alliance has launched a campaign in four countries in Asean calling on engineering and design firms to commit to using only licensed software in the development of roads, bridges, ports, and communications infrastructure.
Nearly every week in Southeast Asia, a private sector engineering, architecture or design firm is fined and penalized for using unlicensed software. The BSA campaign is designed to inform business leaders about the risks of unlicensed software and the benefits of using legal design software. – Irma Isip
