Benise Balaoing

Citizens use their phones in Quezon City amid the modified enhanced community quarantine on August 16, 2020. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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<div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YHbonSSE-tU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>MANILA -- Are you safe online?</div><p>In 2024, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it monitors <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/10/11/dict-says-monitors-2-million-cyber-threats-per-day-1533" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">over two million cyber threats</a> per day.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/7/dict-confirms-persistent-cyberattacks-targeting-offices-under-executive-branch-1341" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DICT confirms &#x27;persistent&#x27; cyberattacks targeting offices under executive branch</a></div><p>So how can one prevent themselves from falling into the trap of online scammers?</p><p>In a video shown journalists at the celebration of Safer Internet Day 2025, Google Asia Pacific&#x27;s Head of Trust and Safety Global Engagements Norman Ng shared tips on how users can protect their online accounts.</p><div><strong>1. Double-check links from supposedly legitimate online sources.</strong></div><p>Ng said users must take a closer look at the finer details of any legitimate-looking websites. &quot;Why? Scammers have gotten so good at making links and fake websites look legitimate over the years,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;We need to make sure we&#x27;re inspecting everything closely,&quot; he added.</p><div><strong>2. Downloading third-party apps from websites is not always secure.</strong></div><p>While it may be enticing to download apps outside the Google Play Store, apps from other websites may contain malware that can hijack a device and steal a user&#x27;s important information, Ng explained.</p><p>When downloading apps, users must make sure that these are highly rated, have a lot of downloads, made by credible developers, and have reasonable apps permissions.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ky0hIfYWRDM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><strong>3. Do not store your passwords in your Notes app.</strong></div><p>&quot;Imagine if I lost my phone and I did store it in my notes, someone finds my phone, imagine if they open this, all my passwords will be compromised,&quot; Ng said.</p><p>Ng advised netizens to use password manager apps, like Google Password Manager, to store passwords in. He noted that Google Password Manager locks the passwords behind a two-step verification and biometric passkeys.</p><div><strong>4. Screen the members of your group chats.</strong></div><p>Is there one person who&#x27;s inactive in your high school batch&#x27;s group chat (GC)? You might want to consider removing him from the GC already, Ng said.</p><p>&quot;You don&#x27;t know who&#x27;s watching and exposing the contents of your group chat,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;If one person in a group chat gets compromised or hacked, all the group chats they are in will be compromised,&quot; he explained.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/02/08/23/google-shares-tips-for-safer-internet-use-this-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LIST: Google shares tips for safer internet use this 2023</a></div><p>Ng&#x27;s video is a collaboration between Google and TikTok educational content creator Lyka Marvilla to help promote Google&#x27;s features that help protect internet users.</p><p>Google has previously collaborated with <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/02/08/22/benben-google-team-up-for-safer-internet-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben&amp;Ben</a> to promote internet safety in the &quot;new normal.&quot;</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fz7GKK2v4uQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

How to protect yourself from hackers, scammers according to Google, DICT

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How to protect yourself from hackers, scammers according to Google, DICT

Benise Balaoing,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 12, 2025 01:37 PM PHT

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Safer Internet Day 2025

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