Google Honored Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ)

Santiago, Chile—Google along with the group Global Voices honored the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in the first “Breaking Borders Award” held during the Global Voices Summit in Chile. The award aims to recognize those groups who fight for the freedom of expression online.


PCIJ and two other groups (Kubatana.net and BOSCO) won the said award. According to Google’s official blog post:

“The awards — given today at the Global Voices Summit where Internet activists from 60 countries have gathered — were originally announced November 3, 2009, when Google and others marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, with the aim of celebrating how the Internet has become a vital ally in worldwide efforts to advance freedom and political change. This is particularly true at a time when dissidents, journalists and bloggers remain under severe pressure in the online and offline worlds.”

Nominated groups from around the world are evaluated by a body of experts and one winner is chosen for each category: advocacy, technology and policy. The winners will receive $10000 dollars of fund to support and continue their work.

For the full article see Google's blog article.
Honoring those who give voice to the silenced

DFA Warns Filipinos Against New Email Scam

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)about a scam email circulating in the web. The email uses an address named "PHILIPPINE EMBASSY" muscatpe@omantel.net.com. It notifies its victims with an email saying their account won a cash prize of £500,000. To claim the prize though, they requested payment for processing and other personal information.


Though these types of scams are so common in the internet, there are still people who get victimized. The latest was the case of an OFW in Saipan who received the scam email. The DFA, in its official website wants to inform the public that those emails do not originate from them nor they are involved in such scams. They also warned other OFWs of similar scams.

SECURITY THREAT IN THE WEB

As the information technology gets better and better, the crooks are also advancing their methods to lure unsuspecting victims. The need to be careful especially when surfing the internet is on its all-time high. Personal information including your name address, telephone numbers and credit card numbers should not be exposed publicly.

Also, make sure you have the latest updated antivirus protection. If you cannot afford the paid versions, you can download certain free antivirus that will give you a degree of confidence.