Philippine police eye AI to boost capacity vs cyber-crime
THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) on Monday said it is looking at using artificial intelligence (AI) to boost intelligence gathering and the prevention of cyber-crimes.
It signed a deal with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Monday to boost the capacity of law enforcers.
“The PNP as the primary law enforcement agency and DICT as an agency entrusted with harnessing the potential of information and communication technology for national development recognize the value of collaboration in achieving our shared goals,” national police chief General Benjamin C. Acorda, Jr. said at a signing event in Quezon City.
“These vital efforts address the emerging challenges and opportunities in the digital landscape.”
Mr. Acorda said the two agencies would look into using AI to make police operations more efficient.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr. last year said he would seek new equipment and hire more technical experts to boost police capacity to address cyber-crime.
In April, a report by cyber-security researcher Jeremiah Fowler posted on the vpnMentor website showed that more than 1.2 million police records and 800 gigabytes of information on people who work or applied for employment in law enforcement in the Philippines had become publicly available on a database.
The National Privacy Commission said it would work with the PNP, National Bureau of Investigation and other agencies to look into the data leak.
“This collaboration represents a significant step towards our commitment to leveraging the potential of ICT in order to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies,” DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy told the same event.
He said his agency was working with the PNP in developing an online platform that would allow Filipinos to report crimes in real time.
Global cyber-security firm Kaspersky said in a report on April 17 web attacks targeting entities in the Philippines rose to 492,567 in 2022 from 382,940 a year earlier.
The Philippines ranked 42nd out of 250 that were most affected by data breaches in the first quarter, with 48,747 leaked accounts, virtual private network service provider Surfshark said in a May report. This was down by 78.5% from 226,970 in the fourth quarter of last year.
“Modern anti-cybercrime equipment will empower our police officers to dismantle illegal operations, combat human trafficking and safeguard our nation against cyber-criminals,” Mr. Acorda said. — John Victor D. Ordonez
