The Head of Corporate Information Security at Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has warned against the use of ‘deepfakes’ and other misinformation devices in the Philippines, especially during the election campaign season.
Converge SVP and Corporate Information Security Officer Andrew T. Malijan said that misinformation and politically-motivated content may likely increase during this campaign season, and the internet serves as a ripe platform to be leveraged for these.
Thus, he said that Converge continues to strengthen its network against malicious actors and agents and joins the government in educating the public about these illicit online activities.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier announced that they have launched a campaign to curb disinformation and ‘deepfakes’ during the run up to the mid-term elections in May 2025.
Deepfakes refer to doctored videos that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and facial recognition technology to mimic facial expression and characteristics of one person and superimpose it on another person’s body.
Malijan affirmed this, citing data from Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime which stated that the APAC region experienced a 1530% increase in deepfake cases between 2022 and 2023. The Philippines felt the highest growth in deepfake cases at 4500%.
In the Converge network, Malijan additionally reported that in the period of January to February 2025, a whopping 123 billion illegal access entry attempts were made by illicit actors, already at 80% of the total of 2024.
“We may very well exceed the 2024 record of 180 billion entry attempts, as January to February has already logged in this much,” said Malijan.
Further signalling its commitment to create a safe online environment, Converge last week participated in the culminating activity of the DICT for Safer Internet Month.
The multi-stakeholder event organized by the DICT addressed children and their guardians and parents directly on the dangers of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), as well as the general precautions to take to ensure their safety online.
Converge has been a member of the UK-based advocacy anti-OSAEC organization Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) since 2021, and locally, is a staunch partner of Stairway Foundation,a child rights protection group. To fight online and offline scams, it has also enlisted Scam Watch Pilipinas as a partner.
