Are You Safe?

Nothing in the world is completely secure, especially the internet; three experts tell Tatler how to safeguard your presence online

- Jove Moya

It is an indisputable fact that the internet improved the quality of our lives. In the 21st century, spending hours in the library for research and sending handwritten letters are nothing but distant memories. While ideally the internet should be free of cybercriminals and potentially harmful software, sadly, this is too good to be true in the reality that we live in.

In 2019 alone, internet security organisation Fraud Watch International monitored 16,000 attempted cyber-attacks against financial institutions and other clients in the Philippines. Even if the figure seems intimidating, we have yet to see the total number of casualties as crimes like these, albeit rampant, are barely reported to authorities.

When Covid-19 hit the world, lockdowns have been imposed everywhere; this meant many connections outside were compensated with regular interactions on the web. With the rise of internet users, the number of online scammers also increased. Now, more than ever, they are ready to delude many unsuspecting victims.

Art Samaniego Jr, a tech editor in a major daily, explained how data breaching becomes prevalent when many people are at home. “Stolen social media credentials and data privacy leaks have become the ‘other pandemic’. After more than a year of on-and-off lockdowns and quarantines, one thing has remained consistent in the digital world—the threats and dangers of cybercriminals, trying to get a piece of our private data,” he says.

The Philippines, which has more than 76 million active social media users, is a hotspot for hackers. “The country is a happy hunting ground for criminals; this is where they could get willing victims anytime,” Samaniego continues. “I would count it as a success even if there is only one user out there who has not been scammed.”