Cybersecurity & intl cooperation

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WITH modern technology taking over conventional ways of conducting warfare, more and more countries have been reformatting their foreign relations to include emphasis on cybersecurity matters.

This is most pronounced in the recent strengthening of cooperation between the Philippines and Thailand in the fight between transnational crimes and scam hubs, which are present in the two countries.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said many Filipino and Thai nationals have fallen prey to syndicates running scam centers in the region.

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“Our two sides agreed to cooperate closely on defense and security, specifically in combating transnational crimes, which continue to victimize our nationals in their online scamming operations,” he said.

“We also agreed to explore other potential areas of cooperation, such as cybersecurity, peacekeeping operations, and disaster relief, among others.”

‘It is the same illegal operation everywhere, and governments have realized that only a concerted effort against these syndicates will stop them.’

Manalo met with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa at the 6th Philippine-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Bangkok last week.

The Thai government, under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has identified anti-cybercrime efforts as a key government policy.

The Thai government said it would enhance capacity in suppressing call center gangs and join forces with neighboring countries to create mechanisms “for joint responsibility between telecommunications operators and commercial banks.”

In May, a group of Filipinos were able to escape from employers who recruited them for a supposed customer service representative job but later forced them to transfer to Myanmar and work as “love scammers” targeting homosexuals online.

The harassment, abuse, and intimidation that normally occur in illegal POGO and scam hubs in Thailand and Myanmar are replicated in the Philippines, particularly those in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac in Pampanga.  It is the same illegal operation everywhere, and governments have realized that only a concerted effort against these syndicates will stop them.

It is also worth mentioning that Thailand’s experience in fighting online scams and illegal trade, such as in the case of AlphaBay which pioneered the billion-dollar trade in the Dark Web, is so rich and effective that Philippine law enforcement agencies may well learn from their Thai counterparts.

Canadian national Alexander Cazes operated the highly lucrative AlphaBay, one of the largest dark web marketplaces, from Bangkok in 2014 until it was busted in 2017.  With cryptocurrency mostly Bitcoin providing cover for buyers and sellers, there was a robust market for illegal goods, including controlled substances, counterfeit goods, malware and other computer hacking tools, firearms, and toxic chemicals.

Dark web vendors used to gravitate towards Bangkok because they had the laxest laws on cybercrimes at that time, prohibiting the gathering of personal data from internet users.  But learning from the experience of AlphaBay, Thailand instituted legal measures to tighten its cybersecurity nationwide. It took police organizations in the US (Federal Bureau of Investigation), Europe (Europol), the Dutch National Police, and countries like Thailand, Lithuania, Canada, the UK and France to take AlphaBay down.

Apart from trade, tourism, and investments, it is in the area of fighting cybercrimes that the Philippines-Thailand cooperation should show positive results.

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