DESPITE HIGHER cybersecurity awareness, the number of individuals who fell victim to cyber incidents, such as text scams, phishing, and hacking, in the country doubled in 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Preliminary results of the National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey (NICTHS) showed that over 50.9 million, or 62.5% of Filipinos with ICT devices encountered technology-enabled incidents last year. This is a significant jump from the 31.1% reported in 2019.

This comes even as Filipinos report an increased awareness on cybersecurity or data privacy, with 33.4% saying they are aware, up from the 24.1% identified in 2019.

“The scammers are taking advantage of the innocence or the vulnerabilities, especially those who are senior citizens and children,” National ICT Planning, Policy and Standards Bureau Director Ma. Victoria C. Castro said in a forum on Monday.

“So, a big campaign is needed. It’s not only by DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), but really to push forward the government in coming up with all of this awareness,” she added.

PSA said text fraud was still the most prevalent incident, accounting for 57.1% of the total cases. This was followed by hacking (7.8%), phishing (6.1%), and cyberbullying or e-libel (1.1%).

Of the total, only 1.6% of those who experienced any cybercrime attempts and 1.9% of those who were victimized reported the incident.

The statistics agency saw an uptick in households with internet access at home to nearly half or 13.56 million households in 2024 from 17.7% in 2019.

Most households with internet access were in the National Capital Region (68.7%) and Central Luzon (61.3%), while the lowest rates were recorded in Zamboanga Peninsula (21.2%) and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (27.7%).

Meanwhile, two out of three individuals aged 10 years and above, or 67.3%, reported using the internet last year. This is 41.9 percentage points higher than the 25.4% recorded in 2019.

However, at least 29.9 million individuals did not use the internet, with around 1.9 million or 6.3% citing privacy or security concerns as their reason.

The majority of them use the internet at home daily.

In terms of the digital economy, the NICTHS also found that Filipinos are skeptical of using electronic payment methods when purchasing online due to cybersecurity concerns.

“A secured digital economy depends on a resilient security infrastructure and strong data privacy safeguards,” Ms. Castro said. “We recognize that concerns over data breaches and identity theft undermine user confidence and slow down digital adoption.”

She said the DICT will prioritize “strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure across government and business platforms, conducting nationwide public awareness campaigns on data protection and responsible digital behavior, and establishing clear accountability mechanisms for data breaches and misuse of personal information.”

The DICT will coordinate with its attached agencies, the National Privacy Commission, the National Telecommunications Commission, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, she added.

Ms. Castro also said that cybersecurity efforts should be brought down to the local level.

“There’s a lot of information campaigns. So, at the national level, it needs to be translated into a local level — I mean, down to our citizenry, especially the scams.”

CYBERSECURITY MEASURES
The DICT also laid out its legislative agenda, which includes refiling a cybersecurity bill to the 20^th Congress and integrating cybersecurity elements in the E-Governance and Konektadong Pinoy bills.

Last month, the Palace said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is expected to sign the Konektadong Pinoy bill, a measure that would modernize the country’s digital infrastructure. It includes provisions aimed at improving cybersecurity standards for internet services nationwide.

The National Government also released the National Cybersecurity Plan 2023-2028 last year, which serves as the country’s policy direction and operational guidelines for a “trusted, secured, and resilient cyberspace for every Filipino.”

The NICTHS, first released in 2019, evaluates the access, use, and impact of ICT among households and individuals across the Philippines.

PSA, along with the DICT, surveyed 81.38 million individuals aged 10 years and above across the country from Feb. 5 to March 12, 2024. — Katherine K. Chan