RACONTEURPH

Unisys reveals Pinoys most concerned over security

Filipino Internet users are probably the most highlighted nation in the latest survey published by Unisys Security Index.

From the 13 countries listed, the Philippines was reported to lead the world in concern over security issues, with the issues regarding identity theft, natural disasters, and credit card fraud being listed the top notable areas of concern.

About 88% of Filipinos are extremely concerned about unauthorized access to, or misuse of personal information; 87% goes to concerns regarding epidemic of calamities; and 86% are concerned about other people obtaining details of their bank card (debit or debit).

All in all, the Unisys Security Index for the Philippines scored 232 on a scale of 0 to 300, which gives them 59 points higher (or 34%) than the global average. But even so, the Philippine index fell 11 points since 2017, with decreases across all areas of security issues and making the country joining Colombia and Mexico being the only countries where concern about natural disasters ranks in the top three.

In terms of demographics, younger Filipinos (ages 18 to 24) are expressing more concern than those over 55. Women are concerned more than men, and those on lower incomes are also more concerned than those on higher incomes. Luzon has been expressing the most concern as it recorded an index of 234, while people in the Visayas region are the least concerned with a recorded index of 228.

“Filipinos face a challenging combination of data and physical security issues, reflected in the highest Unisys Security Index globally. Filipinos are very aware of the global cybersecurity issues such as identity theft and credit card fraud. But they also regularly face local natural disasters such as the recent Super Typhoon Mangkhut, which endanger lives and impact the delivery of critical services,” said Lysandra Schmutter, vice president for Public Sector, Unisys Asia Pacific.

As the Filipinos are among the top countries with issues regarding Internet security, it was also the same nation of people who are more comfortable on using various forms of digital media to verify identities and access services online and offline. The study also revealed that they are more comfortable using digital identities to interact with government organization than with commercial or financial services providers.

In this year's study, Filipinos are said to be the most comfortable with biometrics, such as fingerprints or facial scans, when used to verify passenger identities at airports (87% of respondents). The majority of Filipinos are also comfortable using a single user ID and authentication to access multiple government services (76%) or to access services from different financial service providers (62%). Similarly, 70% are comfortable with a centralized electronic health record. The top reason given by those not comfortable using digital identities is concern about data security.

“The high degree of willingness to embrace digital identities in the Philippines may be driven in part by the need to quickly access services following natural disasters. Given that Filipinos are also concerned about identity theft and bankcard fraud, biometric identifiers such as fingerprints or facial scans offer an accurate and secure way of authorizing someone’s identity so that they can access the services they need, even if all of their identity papers have been destroyed,” said Schmutter.

For additional results and information on the 2018 Unisys Security Index, and to download a report on the Philippine survey results, visit www.unisyssecurityindex.com.