Online safety and responsibility

The last two years have definitely changed the way we live. When COVID-19 hit, the majority of our lives were already spent online. However, the virus pushed everyone over the edge. It forced even those who tried to stay offline into the digital space. It was out of necessity, and there was no other option but to find a way to move both business and personal matters online.

However, that also came with a new set of responsibilities and a new way of learning to stay safe. In the “real world,” we are all well aware of the rules, and we, more or less, know how to keep ourselves safe and what to stay away from. Online though, is an entirely new ball game, and we’ve all spent the past two years learning a whole new set of rules.

For those of us who are older, the transition has been a longer and more complex one. Shifting from calls to messaging apps to online conferencing apps has been tricky at best, but it is a necessity in the world we live in. Kids have had it easier because they were born digital natives and just had to transition to having more of their activities online. Now, two years into the pandemic, have we all learned how to better live in the digital space? Yes, but still with a spoonful of caution.

In the Philippines, even before COVID-19, we have been trying to inject more responsibility into online activities. Laws have been passed about cybercrime and cyberbullying, but for the most part, these laws have yet to be really appropriately implemented. While there is the potential threat of legal action, the protection these laws provide is still difficult for most Filipinos to utilize.

And while informational security has had to be ramped up exponentially in the face of remote working and online migration, we’re still pretty far from where we need to be in keeping our digital information and online identities safe. If anything, we have seen more and more instances of hacking and digital theft over the past year, and we have to be even more vigilant.

In the past several months alone, and especially during the holidays, there were several reports of criminals hacking online accounts of major Philippine banks. Several Filipinos recently came forward about suspicious activities with their accounts, and while investigations have been done and some arrests have been made, cybercriminals are very agile and just move on to the next target.

In fact, just as regular citizens have learned to live in the online space in ways they didn’t think possible before, cybercriminals have also developed new and more sophisticated ways to launch cyberattacks. And this just isn’t against regular citizens but also against major institutions. News reports show that over P1 billion has been lost to cyber fraud. Across all channels – social media, SMS messaging, and more, Filipinos are being tricked into giving up sensitive information that is helping hackers steal even more.

This brings up problems not just for financial institutions but for all online activity. The threat of having money and information stolen or used in fraudulent ways is a serious problem, especially for businesses that conduct most of their work online. Many multinational companies have had to implement stricter security measures to ensure the information safety of both their associates and their clients. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

We also have to do our part in keeping our information safe. Alongside major cyberattacks are small-scale hack jobs happening almost every day through text messaging. I know I am not the only one receiving texts daily about prizes won or jobs being offered. These all contain suspicious links that tell message recipients to click on them. Hopefully, by now, we have all learned that these are all scams to either phish accounts or steal sensitive information. We need to remain careful about everything we click online.

After all, these days, all it takes is one unlucky click to give away all the information at our fingertips. While the convenience of storing passwords on our devices and making payments in the blink of an eye can’t be denied, there is also a security risk and responsibility that comes with it. We need to consistently be aware of the potential threats.

Online safety and responsibility are just additional factors of learning to live in this new reality. At this point, the convenience, mobility, and safety of online businesses will not go away. We need to be able to live in the digital space safely and productively, which will require adjustment and care on our part. Like with the pandemic, we need to be responsible for implementing and practicing our own safety protocols.

While it goes without saying, some things bear repeating. We need to always be careful about suspicious emails asking us to click a link or visit a website. We shouldn’t answer messages from anyone whose identity we can’t confirm. If we get messages from banks or other companies, we need to do our due diligence and confirm if these are legitimate. And as always, we should never give our sensitive information on the phone or through messaging apps. Plus, if anything feels or looks suspicious, it probably is, and we should report it to the proper authorities or institutions.

Companies and businesses are doing what they can to beef up security on their end, but the fight isn’t theirs alone. If we all do our part, we can help stop more of these cyberattacks from happening.