International market research and data analytics firm YouGov recently conducted a study on television viewing habits of Filipino consumers and found around 28 percent utilize devices intended to stream pirated content.

Such devices, also known as illicit streaming devices (ISD), often come with applications allowing access to pirated content. Some of the popular applications include Showbox, CloudTV, FunTV, and Hug U Box.

“The PCTA (Philippines Cable Television Association) has always stood against piracy and the association is alarmed at the results of the YouGov survey,” said PCTA President Joel Dabao.

The study also found around 18 percent of ISD users canceled all or some of their subscription to legal television services.

“The damage that piracy does to the creative industries is without dispute; however, the damage done to consumers themselves, because of the nexus between content piracy and malware, is only beginning to be recognized,” Asia Video Industry Association-Coalition Against Piracy General Manager Neil Gane noted. “Piracy websites and applications typically have a click happy user base and, as such, are being used more and more as clickbait to distribute malware.”

Senate Bill 2109, filed before the Senate last November by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, seeks to grant the National Telecommunications Commission the authority to cancel licenses for internet service providers that allow access to pirated content.

According to the bill: “The Philippines is, unfortunately, one of the countries described by internet pirates as ‘safe’ for uploading, downloading, linking, torrenting, and stream-infringing content without fear of prosecution. The Philippines continues to be a haven for cyber criminals who illegally make content available on the internet.”/WDJ