The Philippines has officially joined the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime — the world’s first comprehensive global treaty aimed at combating crimes committed through information and communications technologies.
The initiative, called the Verification of Electronic Records and Information Trust and Authentication System (Veritas), will enable users to digitally sign and verify SEC-related documents through public-key cryptography, with all transactions recorded on a decentralized ledger to ensure immutability and traceability.
In the absence of an actual law on data sovereignty, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is preparing a circular that will require the localization of sensitive sovereign data in the Philippines.
The unified system integrates SMC’s Autosweep and MPTC’s Easytrip electronic toll collection (ETC) platforms, allowing motorists to use just one RFID sticker and account for all expressways operated by the two major tollway companies.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Henry Aguda has clarified his stance on the controversial World App project, saying he respects the authority of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to decide on the legal issues surrounding the iris-scanning technology.
A policy rift has emerged within the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) after secretary Henry Aguda publicly endorsed cooperation with World.org’s iris-scanning technology — a move that directly contradicts a cease-and-desist order (CDO) issued by the National Privacy Commission (NPC), an attached agency of the DICT, against the project’s operators over alleged violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA).
While the Philippines currently ranks 56th in the 2024 Government AI Readiness Index, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said the country is “well-positioned to accelerate progress” through the foundation laid by years of groundwork.
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has ordered Tools for Humanity (TFH), the company behind the World App and its Orb biometric verification system, to immediately stop collecting and processing personal and biometric data in the Philippines for allegedly violating the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA).
According to Sen. Bam Aquino, the Internet Transactions Act defines the Trustmark as a voluntary program that sellers may choose to obtain to boost consumer confidence, not a mandatory one.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may help uncover fraud and misuse of public funds, but experts warn that technology alone cannot eradicate corruption without integrity, strong institutions, and political will.
