We, independent media outfits and journalists under the Altermidya Network, express our support to the People’s Initiative to Grant ABS-CBN a People’s Franchise or Pirma Kapamilya, a movement that seek to gather 7 million signatures for ABS-CBN.
After 70 legislators voted a death sentence for the network and its 11,000 employees, many Filipinos and press freedom advocates remain hopeful of possible avenues to grant ABS-CBN a franchise.
‘People’s Initiative’ under the 1987 Constitution grants Filipinos the power to amend the Constitution or enact laws. This procedure is governed by Republic Act 6735 or “The Initiative and Referendum Act,” along with Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Resolution No. 10650.
Under the said rules, a proposed legislation needs the signature of at least 10% of all registered voters or about 6.1 million signatures based on the total registered voters in the 2019 National Elections Record. To ensure that enough signatures are secured after the verification process, a target of 7 million registered voters has been set.
The sheer number of signatures needed is not lost on us: indeed this road is painstaking and difficult, an arduous task only aggravated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Yet at a time when those in power are relentless in eroding our rights – press freedom, our civil liberties, our right to know –we take every instance we have to defend and reclaim these rights with every risk and effort.
The campaign has only just begun, and yet paid hacks and naysayers already accuse it of being an elaborate scheme funded by so-called oligarchs. This claim conveniently ignores how it was precisely those in power who conspired to steal from the Filipino people one of their main sources of information at the height of the public health crisis.
We have underscored from the beginning that this campaign is not a move to protect mere corporate interests. It is an assertion by the Filipino people who cannot tolerate abuses to our constitutionally-guaranteed right to press freedom and free expression.
The road may be difficult but the initiative is a form of taking back the power of the phrase “we, the sovereign Filipino people” enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. As we have always said and done in the past, we will fight back, together for press freedom, for the people’s to know, and for democracy.
Laban, Kapamilya!
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Image-pirma-kapamilya-abs-1000x540-1.jpg5401000Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2020-08-27 17:23:072020-08-27 17:23:09‘Laban, Kampamilya’: Altermidya’s statement of support for the People’s Initiative for ABS-CBN franchise
Alternative media outfits
identified two companies where the intense cyber attacks against them since
December are coming from.
Bulatlat,
Kodao, and Pinoy Weekly, as well as the People’s Alternative Media Network
(Altermidya) filed a civil complaint at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court
this morning against IP Converge Data Services, Inc. and Suniway Group of
Companies they believe are where the cyber-attacks are coming from.
“Through
the solid and thorough digital forensic investigation of Sweden-based Qurium
Media Foundation over time, it was discovered that the cyber-attacks were
coming from companies IP Converge and Suniway,” Altermidya national coordinator
Rhea Padilla said.
According
to their respective websites, IP Converge Data Services, Inc. is the country’s
first cloud services provider while Suniway is an internet services provider.
Exposed IP addresses
Padilla
said the digital forensic report revealed that despite hiding behind a Virtual
Private Network (VPN), one of the attackers exposed their real IP addresses
when they accessed the website without turning on their hidden IPs.
In
another instance, one of the attackers also revealed his IP address when he
used his Samsung Android phone to check the websites of alternative media
groups under attack.
The
exposed IP addresses, she added, may easily be traced to IP Converge based on
the findings of Qurium.
Meanwhile,
Qurium learned that the infrastructure of networks being used to launch the
attacks belongs to Suniway, which holds business addresses both in Hong Kong
and in the Philippines with two Chinese national listed as among its officers.
“The
user agents who conducted the attacks using devices within the premises and
under the control and supervision of Defendants IP Converge and Suniway are
unidentified at this point,” their complaint said.
First-ever complaint
Padilla
said their civil complaint against cyber-attackers is the first ever in the
Philippines.
“This
is definitely a first and it will serve as a testament that we will neither be
cowed nor will we allow these cyber-attacks to continue,” Padilla said.
The
complainants were assisted by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers.
Since
December 2018, alternative media sites have been subjected to sustained
cyber-attacks in the form of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
DDoS
refers to the malicious attempt to overload the server of a website, aimed to
shut it down.
Padilla
said this kind of attack “denies legitimate readers of access to truthful
reports.”
“Plaintiffs
have reasonable ground to believe that there are more than one of them, each
one targeting a particular organization,” their complaint said.
Padilla
added that launching a cyber-attack with this kind of magnitude and immensity
is impossible without the knowledge of the companies.
The
alternative media outfits maintained that these relentless cyber-attacks are
politically-motivated.
They
called on the two companies to reveal their real clients.
“We
believe these attacks are state-sponsored and are part of the Duterte
administration’s attempt to stifle press freedom in the country. It seems cyber
censorship is one of the administration’s tactics to make way for an open
dictatorial rule,” Padilla said.
The
filing of the complaint coincided with the 25th anniversary of the internet in
the Philippines.
In March 29, 1994, the first ever internet message were sent between the University of San Carlos in Cebu City and Syracuse University in New York. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ddos2.jpg533800Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-03-29 12:31:152019-04-01 08:17:46Alternative media outfits fight back, file complaints vs. cyber-attacks
To mark World Day Against Cyber-Censorship, the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) recalls the specific incidents when target news sites were forced offline
Alternative news organizations play a crucial role in informing the people about issues and concerns of public interest that are usually overlooked by the mainstream media. They provide a platform for voices in society that are conveniently ignored, or worse muted, by state and non-state actors alike.
It is precisely this role that makes these segments of the media prone to digital attacks, leading to their sites’ take down. Often, not just once but repeatedly.
Cyber attacks have also targeted other news organizations, which are known for their independence and no-nonsense approach to their work, such as the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and VERA Files since President Rodrigo Duterte took office, prompting suspicions that their stories deemed critical of the policies of the current administration have triggered the online assault.
Since 2016, when Duterte assumed office, at least 10 cases of cyber onslaught against select news outlets have been documented.
A form of censorship, such attacks make information inaccessible to the public, thus undermining freedom of expression and the people’s right to know.
What is a DDoS Attack?
There are various cyber attacks that can be perpetuated against groups or individuals online. A common attack deployed against alternative news websites in the Philippines recently is the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
But what is a DDoS attack?
In a nutshell, DDoS attacks, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), “aim to make online resources temporarily or indefinitely unavailable by flooding them with so much traffic that their intended users cannot access or use them.”
Websites receive traffic from its users on a regular basis but DDoS attacks send unusual volume of traffic overwhelming its capacity until it can no longer be accessible.
“Attackers build their ‘army’ of computers by spreading malware through email, social media, and various websites. Once infected, these networks of computers (‘botnets’) are exploited without their owners’ knowledge to launch a DDoS attack against a target online service,” EFF said.
“DDoS attacks target a variety of services, ranging from banks and corporations to websites belonging to human rights organizations or political dissidents. As these attacks aim to prevent the publication of and access to information on target websites, they can constitute a form of censorship.”
Pinoy Weekly, in a Facebook post, said their server informed them that the website was “temporarily suspended” as the high volume of traffic on the website was affecting other sites.
While Kodao’s website was back up evening of 26 December, it was again inaccessible two days later, with its home page flashing this message, “the account has been suspended.”
In a statement, AlterMidya (a portmanteau of the words alternative and media) said: “Their websites were evident targets of distributed denial of service or DDOS attacks, which made the websites inaccessible since December 26. The shutdown of these websites apparently happened after the news outfits posted articles about the Communist Party of the Philippines’ 50th anniversary.” (Alternative media under siege, 28 December 2018)
Kodao Productions website hacked
The December 2019 hacking incident was not a first for the website of Kodao Productions under the Duterte administration. It was hacked on 6 February 2018. (Kodao Productions Website Attacked, 6 February 2018)
Kodao Productions, in a Facebook post, said their website was down since midnight of 2 February 2018. They said their site admins could not access the website.
The website went back online on 28 March 2018, nearly two months since the attack. Kodao Productions said the website suffered a “‘code injection attack’ that wiped out its files and prevented its online managers from logging in …” (Kodao website is back online, 28 March 2018)
“Its last stories were about the arrest of National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant Rafael Baylosis and companion in Quezon City before the attack.”
AlterMidya (People’s Alternative Media Network), “a network of independent and progressive media outfits, institutions, and individuals,” in a Facebook post on 8 February 2019, said “AlterMidya website down. We admins say this is caused by DDoS attacks similar to what Bulatlat and Kodao Productions experienced in past weeks.”
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has also been the subject of cyber attacks under the Duterte administration. On 9 January 2017, NUJP’s website was inaccessible due to a “massive denial of service” attack. (NUJP Website Attacked, 10 January 2017)
NUJP said “whoever are responsible for this attack are enemies of press freedom and of free expression.”
Its website was again briefly inaccessible twice on 8 February 2019 following a DDoS attack that happened at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The site was back up later, at 8:30 p.m.
“We believe the attack on NUJP site is related to the ones launched against Bulatlat and alternative news sites Kodao Productions and AlterMidya, all of which host NUJP chapters,” NUJP said in a statement. (Cyberattack downs NUJP website twice, 11 February 2019)
On 11 February 2019, NUJP’s website was down twice again after it was hit by DDoS attacks. The first one was recorded between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., and was restored that same morning. Another attack was recorded mid-afternoon; the website was back online at 4:15 p.m. (DDoS attacks on NUJP, alternative media continue, 11 February 2019)
“According to the initial report of our security auditors, the attackers’ most requested URL path is https://nujp.org/?s=duterte, a page that appears when keyword ‘Duterte’ is searched on the website,” NUJP said.
“We strongly believe this is part of an orchestrated campaign to silence critical outfits and organizations … (it) has also targeted alternative news sites such as those of our affiliates, Bulatlat, Kodao Productions, AlterMidya, and its latest target, Pinoy Weekly,” NUJP said.
PCIJ Website Hacked
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) said in a 29 July 2016 Facebook note that their website (http://pcij.org) and blog site (http://pcij.org/blog) were hacked and were thus inaccessible. (PCIJ Websites Attacked, 29 July 2016)
“The attack follows the publication of PCIJ reports on the drug war of the Duterte administration, and our ‘Know Your Rights’ advisories for citizens,” PCIJ said.
VERA Files said their website was hit by a DDoS attack 30 minutes after publishing the story. It went back up around 2 a.m. the next day and was attacked again at 6 a.m. The site went back up before noon. (Vera Files reports cyberattack after publishing story critical of Duterte, 23 January 2018)
What Now?
Bulatlat and other alternative media organizations is set to hold a protest action on Tuesday, 12 March 2019, World Day Against Cyber Censorship, in front of the National Computer Emergency Response Team ( NCERT) unit of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) office C.P. Garcia, Quezon City in the Philippines at 10 a.m.
Qurium has called on NCERT to investigate the DDoS attacks against the alternative news sites but NCERT has yet to respond. Bulatlat said they will file a civil action case against IT companies where the attacks are being launched. #
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1.png445800Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-03-12 15:27:292019-03-14 17:43:13Digital Reality Bites: Alternative Media in the Crosshairs of Cyber Attacks
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMG_2524-e1480327962972.jpg6871500Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2016-11-24 08:49:532016-11-28 10:13:03PODCAST: Prof. Danilo Arao on Ampatuan Massacre, Marcos' burial and Alternative Media
It is Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s last year in office but justice remains elusive for the victims of Ampatuan massacre. No perpetrator has been convicted, the victims still cry for justice. Aquino’s vow six years ago to immediately resolve the gruesome massacre has become a hollow promise: the culture of impunity and sheer lack of accountability continues to reign under his administration.
The Ampatuan massacre, considered as the single most violent incident in the history of Philippine media, claimed the lives of 58 people including 32 journalists on November 23, 2009. The case against the alleged masterminds, the Ampatuan warlord clan, moves painfully slow.
The court case, after six years, is still at its preliminary stage at gathering evidence and bail proceedings. One of the primary suspects, Ampatuan patriarch, former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. died early this year of liver cancer, extinguishing his criminal liability in the massacre case. Another suspect, Sajid Ampatuan, was released and is running for mayor of Shariff Aguak, under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay, in the 2016 polls. Majority of the suspects including members of the clan’s private army and several police officers are still at large or were granted bail.
The gross failure and lack of interest of the Aquino government to swiftly bring justice to the victims and end impunity continues to cultivate a dangerous atmosphere for Filipinos, media worker or not. After the Ampatuan massacre, the killing of journalists persists under Aquino’s term. The recent killing of DWIZ correspondent Jose Bernardo brings the total number of murdered journalists to 30 under the Aquino administration and 150 since 1986.
Extrajudicial killings of political activists, human rights defenders, indigenous people, and community leaders continue. Threats and harassment of state critics are intensifying. All these are a bleak reminder of the escalating impunity in the country and the ineptness of government that breeds it.
Six years of waiting has been enough. The Ampatuan massacre is a pivotal issue in the people’s struggle against growing impunity. Another day of delay in bringing justice to the 58 victims is another license for greater human rights violations and unaccountability in the country. We could no longer allow this government, or the next, to continue this injustice. We hold the Aquino government accountable for this injustice as well as its own crimes against the people. We would persist in demanding for justice for the victims and their families of the Ampatuan massacre, and all cases of extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations.
Accountability for these murders, for political repression, the absence of justice, and the persisting culture of impunity are all the responsibility of the President and the State. #
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Altermidya-People’s Alternative Media Network is a national network of independent and progressive media outfits, institutions and individuals. Kodao Productions is a founding member of Altermidya.
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1.jpg720714Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2015-11-23 06:50:592015-11-23 07:22:54ALTERMIDYA EDITORIAL: Ampatuan Massacre, a grim symbol of reigning impunity under Aquino
