The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday, June 26, assured the public that it will install devices to ensure the free Wi-Fi service is not used for illegal activities.

During a televised Presidential Communication Office (PCO) press briefing, DICT Undersecretary for Infostructure Management, Cybersecurity and Upskilling Jeffrey Ian C. Dy said “it's a mitigation of risk."

"So, we are securing the network so that we will be able to check if our own sovereign network, kasi (because) this is a sovereign fiber backbone, is being used to attack certain companies or countries," Dy said

"It's a very technical discussion, but we'll be putting in devices, we'll be putting in sensors to ensure that this network is not being used for illegal activities," he added.

Meanwhile, the DICT official emphasized that the said methods would not lead to the total disappearance of scams, "but we have to put proper controls in place to mitigate that particular risk."

This free Wi-Fi initiative is under the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) project of the DICT.

Dy also highlighted that President Marcos approved the Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project (PDIP), a World Bank loan worth 288 million USD, which aims to complete the NFB.

On April 19, the DICT launched the first phase of the NFB, which connected Baler to Laoag and then to Metro Manila.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/4/19/monumental-leap-toward-digitally-empowered-society-dict-launches-first-phase-of-national-fiber-backbone-initiative

Dy pointed out that for this year, the agency plans to finish Phases 2 and 3 of the NFB, which connect Metro Manila to Southern Luzon.

"With this loan, we should be able to get submarine cables across Visayas and then connect it to Mindanao," he said.

This project aims to provide 772 free Wi-Fi sites focused on Mindanao, specifically Regions 11 and 13.

Moreover, Dy explained the prevalence of non-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) based scams occurring on over-the-top (OTT) messaging apps.

"Now, regarding Viber and its use, I understand what you're saying about scams. Let's understand that it's a very complex problem," Dy said.

"We now have the SIM card registration law, but you will notice that technology has changed, right?" he added in a mix of English and Filipino.

He noted that scammers are increasingly using modern methods such as the international mobile subscriber identity-catcher (IMSI-catcher) and fake radio units to intercept radio transmissions.

"Unfortunately, we still need a law to regulate these. So, that's a different thing all together," Dy said.