Filipinos are more cyber security conscious

Consumers hold the business or government agency responsible for not protecting their data and many Filipinos are taking action

Data security dominates consumers’ concerns and many Filipinos actively respond after a data breach by closing accounts, taking legal action and using social media to expose the issue.

Philippine consumers have again topped the list with regards to the level of concern they have over wsecurity issues.

This was reported by the latest Unisys Security Index, which surveyed 13 countries; Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, the UK and the US.

The longest-running recurring snapshot of consumer security concerns conducted globally, the Unisys Security Index measures concerns of consumers on issues related to national, personal, financial and internet security.

With the country taking the top slot, Unisys said data security dominates consumers’ concerns and many Filipinos actively respond after a data breach by closing accounts, taking legal action and using social media to expose the issue.

The study polled 1,079 adults in the Philippines from 27 February to 22 March 2019.

Three of the top four concerns in the Philippines relate to data security, with 90 percent of Filipinos seriously concerned about unauthorized access to their personal information, 87 percent seriously concerned about internet hacking or viruses and 84 percent seriously concerned about bank card fraud.

This year, the Philippines is the only country where concern about natural disasters such as floods or typhoons ranks in the top three concerns, with 89 percent concerned about this issue. The largest change in the last year is the 6-percentage point increase in concern about online transactions such as shopping or banking, up from 76 percent in 2018 to 82 percent in 2019.

More than a third (36 percent) of Filipinos report they suffered a data breach in the last year, with the most common types of attacks being email hacking, which was experienced by 16 percent of respondents. Social engineering scams that tricked them into providing information (13 percent) and social media profiles hacked (12 percent).

“With data more relevant than ever, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is at the forefront of protecting every Filipino in cyberspace through Critical Infrastructure Protection, National Computer Emergency Response Team, Protection of Government Information Systems and Child Online Protection,” said DICT Assistant Secretary for Digital Philippines, Emmanuel Rey R. Caintic.

“In addition, we are set to rollout the cybersecurity management system to more government agencies by 2021. Complementing this initiative, we are engaging schools to educate and train the youth on the latest trends and issues on cybersecurity.”

Ashwin Pal, director of security services for Asia Pacific Unisys, explained that the research shows organizations are at risk of not just losing data, but also of losing business.

“Consumers hold the business or government agency responsible for not protecting their data, and many Filipinos are taking action. Among Filipinos who report they have suffered a data breach in the last year, almost a quarter (24 percent) say they took legal action, one in five (21 percent) stopped dealing with the organization by closing their account, and 18 percent exposed the issue on social media. This results in customer loss, reputation damage, legal disputes and inhibits take-up of online or digital services,” he said.