A report on “Consumer Risks from Piracy in the Philippines,” found Filipino consumers visiting pirate streaming sites are 21.66 times more likely to be infected with malware compared to mainstream sites.
The report released by the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) on September comes at a time of the signing last month of a mechanism in blocking pirated sites to protect the substantial revenues of the creative sector, which totaled P1.6 trillion or 7.3 percent of GDP in 2022.
AVIA said in the report that when visiting pirate torrent sites, Filipino consumers are 16.66 times more likely to be infected with malware, with an infection rate of 18 percent.
The report said the findings once again highlight the possible dangers Filipino consumers face when accessing pirate sites.
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said in a statement internet service providers (ISPs) and anti-piracy partners commended the new site blocking rules last month, vowing to do their part in immediately disabling access upon order from IPOPHL and the National Telecommunications Commission to help the creative economy flourish more fully.
Globe Telecom, PLDT-Smart, Dito and Sky are the ISPs that signed a memorandum of understanding with IPOPHL last week as they commit to block sites upon IPOPHL’s request once a violation has been determined. This approach streamlines the current process which requires the involvement of the NTC, the agency being the primary regulator of ISPs.
To recall, several ISPs expressed support for the site blocking rules as early as 2021 when it participated in an industry-wide consultation held by IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office.
