Marilyn Cahatol

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Digital spaces should be used for democratic participation, creativity, inclusion and equality, not for surveillance, exploitation and exclusion, a digital rights group said in its annual report.</p><p>In its digital rights report for 2025, the Foundation for Media Alternatives’ (FMA) said digital systems meant to promote inclusion “easily deepen inequality, silence dissent, and expose communities to harm when left unchecked.”</p><p>It said that “diigital rights are not merely technical concerns; they are inseparable from human rights, democracy, and social justice.” </p><p>The foundation said promoting communities “demands sustained vigilance, meaningful public participation, and policies rooted in transparency, accountability, and justice, particularly for those most vulnerable to digital harm.”</p><p>“Civil society must continue building capacity, conducting independent monitoring, and advancing advocacy that centers marginalized voices and resists digital repression,” it noted.</p><p>FMA urged the government to strengthen rights-based policies through stronger data protection, transparent regulation, and governance of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) aligned with human rights standards, while working closely with civil society to ensure people-centered policymaking.</p><p>It added that technology platforms should improve digital safety, fair content moderation, and user protection.</p><p>As of January 2025, there were 97.5 million Filipinos were online — 83.8 percent of the total population — FMA said.</p><p>It also recorded 90.8 million active social media users, accounting for 78 percent of the population.</p><div> </div><div><strong>PRESS FREEDOM</strong></div><p>The FMA reported that “serious risks” to press freedom continued to persist in 2025, noting the murder of broadcaster Noel Bellen Samar, the eighth journalist killed under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.</p><p>“His killing deeply reinforced how violence against journalists remains an urgent and unresolved issue,” FMA said.</p><p>Citing the National Union of Journalists of the Philippine, FMA also noted that the press remains challenged despite the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/2/press-freedom-in-ph-improved-but-global-state-of-journalists-falls-to-difficult-for-first-time-1537">Philippines’ improved rank in the 2025 RSF World Press Index.</a></p><p>The foundation further highlighted the case of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, the community journalist accused of terrorism financing.</p><p>“Ensuring the safety of media workers remains crucial to bridging the gap between legal protections and lived realities,” FMA said,</p><p>“In the face of censorship and political repression, a free and independent press is of the utmost importance in upholding democracy.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/15/jailed-filipino-journalist-frenchie-mae-cumpio-honored-by-iwmf-0800">Jailed Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio honored by IWMF</a></div><div> </div><div><strong>PRIVACY, INTERNET GOVERNANCE</strong></div><p>The last quarter of 2024 saw a significant increase in scams, FMA also said, citing the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and Gogoloook’s report. </p><p>In 2025, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/9/22/egov-platform-not-breached-but-19-govt-websites-hacked-says-dict-1438">19 government websites were also hacked and defaced in 2025.</a></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/26/63-arrested-in-pasig-online-investment-scam-foreign-mastermind-nabbed-2227">63 arrested in Pasig online investment scam; foreign ‘mastermind’ nabbed</a></div><p>These prompted lawmakers to propose pieces of legislation that address concerns about data privacy and identity theft.</p><p>The foundation however noted that “initiatives framed around ‘online safety,’ ‘digital literacy,’ and related campaigns could be gateways for censorship, surveillance, or political suppression, particularly in the absence of strong transparency and due-process safeguards.”</p><p>“While digitalization efforts can improve access for users, they can also deepen disparities such as the digital divide, uneven platform accountability, and algorithmic harms,” it added.</p><p>The FMA acknowledged the government’s effort to expand internet connectivity through the Konektadong Pinoy Act but noted “structural challenges remained in shaping the digital divide, including affordability concerns, uneven service quality, and the overall gap in digital literacy.”</p><p>Many users still lack the skills to navigate online spaces safely, critically evaluate information, or fully benefit from digital opportunities, further maintaining inequity “by limiting meaningful access for marginalized communities and reinforcing broader social and economic divides.”</p><div> </div><div><strong>AI, MEDIA LITERACY</strong></div><p>Citing a report by Meltwater and We are Social, FMA noted that 42.4 percent of the Philippine population had used AI, particularly ChatGPT, in October 2025 for information searches, text editing, tutoring, personal communication, self-care, translating, coding, creativity and image generation.</p><p>This is way above the global average of 26.5 percent, ranking the Philippines sixth worldwide.</p><p>Meltwater and We are Social further reported that 12 percent of Filipinos used news podcasts, and nine percent used AI chatbots for news, marking a significant shift from traditional news access.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/25/pope-urges-disarming-of-artificial-intelligence-in-major-manifesto-1835">Pope urges &#x27;disarming&#x27; of artificial intelligence in major manifesto</a></div><div> </div><div><strong>GENDER, ICT</strong></div><p>The FMA documented 93 cases of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) in 2025, bringing the total number of reported cases to 829 since 2012.</p><p>It listed sextortion as the most common form of TFGBV, followed by online sexual harassment and non-consensual sharing of intimate images.</p><p>Online sexual exploitation of minors in digital environments also remains a major concern, the FMA added.</p><p>The foundation noted that while government interventions are in place, “accountability and enforcement mechanisms remain difficult to implement.”</p><p>It also highlighted the continued red-tagging and harassment of human rights defenders, particularly women.</p><p>“Despite growing awareness of TFGBV, concrete protections in law, policy, and platform governance remain limited,” FMA said, noting the need for gender-responsive platform policies that address risks faced by women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized groups online.</p><p>“Addressing TFGBV requires stronger policy frameworks, institutional commitment, and the integration of gender-sensitive safeguards into governance, platform regulation, and digital literacy initiatives,” it said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/10/23/20/gender-based-violence-affecting-25-million-women-in-ph-usaid-official-says">Gender-based violence affecting 2.5 million women in PH, USAID official says</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1cNPfQh5GeA?si=SkR-d_Gbtd1FjHzn" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Digital spaces should be used for democratic participation, creativity, inclusion and equality, not for surveillance, exploitation and exclusion, a digital rights group said in its annual report.</p>

Digital spaces should be used for democratic participation, creativity, inclusion and equality, not for surveillance, exploitation and exclusion, a digital rights group said in its annual report.

Digital rights group: Internet should promote equality, not exploitation

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Digital rights group: Internet should promote equality, not exploitation

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 31, 2026 12:53 PM PHT

Read More:

Foundation for Media Alternatives

digital rights

artificial intelligence

violence

surveillance

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