DICT on top of poll automation – Sotto – The Manila Times

Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto 3rd. TMT file photo

SENATE President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has assured him of the integrity of the automated elections in 2022.

Sotto on Wednesday confirmed he and Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson will run in next year's polls.

"We just have to rely on the integrity of [the] Comelec (Commission on Elections) and do watch out as far as the automation is concerned," Sotto said.

The Senate chief added they will have to rely on the DICT considering that the chairman of automation is former senator now Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan 2nd.

"He is assuring us that the DICT will be on top of whatever automation. So, we have to rely on that," Sotto stressed.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros on Tuesday said China's cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns will be one of the biggest threats to Philippine national security and democracy.

The senator, in a statement, warned that China may heavily influence the 2022 national elections through cyberespionage campaigns against the Philippines.

"Hindi na ako magugulat kung mangingialam sa ating eleksyon ang Tsina (I will no longer be surprised should China meddle in our election [next year]," Hontiveros said.

"It is quite clear that they would do everything to eventually grab our seas and territory in the West Philippine Sea," she said. "At kasama na dito ang pagtatalaga ng lider na hindi kokontra sa utos nila (And this includes installing a leader who will not contradict their instructions)."

She issued the warning after cybersecurity firm Kaspersky unveiled there is a "rare, wide-scale advanced persistent threat" by Chinese "actors" that gather geopolitical and economic intelligence in Asia and Africa.

The firm added some 1,400 users in the Philippines, including government entities, have fallen victim to spear-phishing emails that contain malicious documents.

Hontiveros then urged the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Information Technology department to look into Kaspersky's reports immediately.

The senator said the DND and the DICT should also issue protocols that all Filipinos can follow to protect themselves from China's cyberintrusions.

"The DND and DICT should strengthen our cyberdefense framework, and at the same time, Filipino users should be made aware of how we can protect ourselves from cyberattacks," she said.

Hontiveros said one of the groups' modus operandi was to mimic meeting apps like Zoom, which was usually used in office meetings, webinars and online classes.

The user was not aware that his or her personal information was already being stolen, the senator said.

"This was not the first time that cyberespionage attacks from China were reported against the Philippines," she said in Filipino.

More here:

DICT on top of poll automation - Sotto - The Manila Times