[NEWS]Philippines blocks gambling sites on government public Wi-Fi network

[AVE5]

At least they can stop Filipinos from accessing those websites.

You can used your own data or when you are at home, you can use your ISP. Maybe since it's free Wifi, then they will have to limit itself as obviously they don't want it to be used by gamblers in the Philippines.

So I would say that this is just something that they can do, but not enough to control the population to gamble.

From the initial emphasis, the change of plans on disconnecting those platforms from the public internet provider was aimed to regulate the masses not from having access to those sites anymore but to cut off their supports giving to the communities on having access to those sites freely after which the authorities suggests it isn't healthy for most user's.
I'll either not underrate the outcome of the decision that it won't be effective enough to control the population from gambling.
Note that some of the communities suffers internet services and instabilities and not everyone can afford personal networks due to the geographical network barriers.
I'm just saying that to an extent the action still have influence on controlling the people but unconditionally.

[CryptSafe]

Well the government have every right to block and unblock whatever they deem fit to taking such exercise on as long as they are solely responsible for servicing it. Besides they blocked access to it and not put a ban so anybody who wants to gamble should use their private data and leave the government Internet for those who the government deem fit for it.  After all " in free town there is nothing free " so no one should expect to get or be using free thing and not expect to keep to the rules of what they are enjoying for free. If you must use something free, you must be able to abide by the rules.

[qwertyup23]

At least they can stop Filipinos from accessing those websites.

You can used your own data or when you are at home, you can use your ISP. Maybe since it's free Wifi, then they will have to limit itself as obviously they don't want it to be used by gamblers in the Philippines.

So I would say that this is just something that they can do, but not enough to control the population to gamble.

The funny thing is, even my data blocks gambling websites that are disallowed by our SEC. The sole thing I hate the most is that even this forum was recently block by our SEC because people from our country reported it as a "gambling website" which does not make any sense at all!

Unfortunately, I have to subscribe and use a VPN service in order to gain access to this forum. It's such an inconvenient way that makes things so difficult given that people often believe random stuff they hear on the internet. In the process, this forum gets the collateral damage of having its access restricted in our country.

Well the government have every right to block and unblock whatever they deem fit to taking such exercise on as long as they are solely responsible for servicing it. Besides they blocked access to it and not put a ban so anybody who wants to gamble should use their private data and leave the government Internet for those who the government deem fit for it.  After all " in free town there is nothing free " so no one should expect to get or be using free thing and not expect to keep to the rules of what they are enjoying for free. If you must use something free, you must be able to abide by the rules.

Unfortunately, it seems like the government restricts gambling websites "as a whole" without even doing any research on their part.

The reason on why I saying this is because they have restricted in our country access to this forum as they are categorized as a "gambling website" which does not make any sense at all. While the government has indeed the power to prohibit and restrict access to any kind of website that are against law, public morals, and public policy, they must still exercise this with careful discretion on their part in order to prevent any abuse from their part.

[Doan9269]

When you are connected to a government controlled Wi-Fi network and still choose to gamble shows that you are not even helping the situation for yourself, because they can track you down to where you are because of your connectivity to their network, many don't know that they are using such as a means of apprehending some target they are aiming, we have to look beyond just the offering of free Wi-Fi network for the people, but also the risk of what we stand to lose when it comes to our privacy in what we do online, don't gamble with their network.

[r_victory]

Even if it weren't blocked, it's a big mistake to use public Wi-Fi to access these types of websites, as well as banks, exchanges, and others that contain confidential and sensitive information that could lead to losses. I speak from experience: I accessed an exchange, and the next day, my funds were drained. Luckily, the amount wasn't high, but it served as a lesson. This type of connection is more exposed than a private one; here we have access on the streets and in markets, and the "not secure connection" warning is always shown when connecting.

[Alex077]

According to the article, the Philippines blocks online gambling sites and porn on public Wi-Fi that it provides nationwide. From what I understand, the goal of the free Wi-Fi for all program is "to expand internet access to underserved areas, including geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities.". The article also said that the government is working with the Department of Education to encourage "to encourage digital literacy and responsible online behavior among students, while also providing cybersecurity training for teachers, parents and local communities.". The government also acknowledged that people who will use the free public WI-Fi might bypass the restriction through VPNs, they also said that they "continue to strengthen the monitoring and filtering system".

If the government is funding infrastructure for education and basic internet access, then it’s understandable why they would also want to restrict access through those networks to gambling sites, scam websites, and other potentially harmful content.
Online gambling on mobile devices is spreading extremely fast now and basically works 24/7, while people in financially poor regions may be at a much higher risk of developing gambling addiction. So from a social policy perspective, the Philippines is probably trying to reduce that risk at least within public networks.

But at the same time, you’re absolutely right about the main issue here - technically, these kinds of restrictions are pretty easy to bypass through VPNs, DNS changes, and other methods. Because of that, it’s almost impossible to completely block access, which makes a lot of these restrictions look more formal than truly effective.

Personally, I think the more important part is not just filtering websites, but exactly what they also mentioned - digital literacy and education. Any technical block can eventually be bypassed, but understanding the risks of gambling, scams, and addiction can genuinely influence people’s behavior in the long run.

[dimonstration]

It’s a bad to use public wife for gambling because it might be resulted to potential multiple account connection if you luckily connected on free wifi that has a history of someone connected in the casino.

Casino is very strict when it comes to multiple accounts especially if both claimed a bonus in the past.

About the porn, I think that is just right because who’s in their right mind to browse in public.

[aioc]

During the heydays of online sabong, local gamblers would even use one pesos wifi so they could gamble because they didn't want to have a permanent connection.
As they spent all their money on gambling, the government of the Philippines knows the habits and characteristics of gamblers, so they block the gambling sites; they just want to make sure that only people who really need the internet will benefit.

[blockman]

What's your opinion on this? Personally, I think it's common sense that they would implement the restrictions of blocking websites like online casinos and porn, even if people can easily bypass the restriction using VPNs, especially when this program can be accessible to everyone, including children/students.

They have the choice to block that since it's only for free. But the risk is much higher when people connect to these public wi-fi's, they have no idea how risky it is if someone from there in the public creates as well a fake public wi-fi and people who's got important docs on their phones and apps might be compromised. Although that's a different topic from this one. As for our government, they know that there are a lot of our countrymen who are engaged into online gambling and this is one of their responses to it when they can do more better things to combat it.

[robelneo]

Gambling is rampant in the Philippines because it's legal, and the Philippines is one of the top users of porn sites, so they don't want abuse of this free WiFi; they only want responsible users, and they don't encourage gambling and abuse.
WiFi in the Philippines is slow and expensive, and with the Philippines managing this, the public will be assured of a fast internet connection because the funds come from the government
 

[stadus]

WiFi in the Philippines is slow and expensive, and with the Philippines managing this, the public will be assured of a fast internet connection because the funds come from the government
 

You said it right, but I think you are wrong if you believe the government only blocks those websites to make the internet look faster.

In a corrupt government, anything they provide is hard to trust fully. Okay, maybe we can still give them a little credit. For the first few months, the internet might be fast and working well, because they need to show proof that the project is useful and that the expenses were justified.

But in the long run, that is where the real problem usually starts. Maintenance becomes poor, speed gets worse, and the service slowly becomes neglected.

That is the reality. Blocking gambling and porn sites may help reduce abuse of the free WiFi, but it will not solve the bigger issue if the system itself is not properly maintained.

[fullfitlarry]

I haven't seen anyone here in our local community using the free public WiFI to gamble. Our local city has our own free WIFI and there are even just a few blocks away from me. What I'm seeing is those young kinds connecting and then using it for their social media.

Not to burst though but free WIFI here is kinda slow so I don't think that it will be enough for gamblers to used it for their purpose. But as what the majority of Filipino says, this is a good move by the government as free WIFI is not meant to be used for gambling.

[robelneo]

WiFi in the Philippines is slow and expensive, and with the Philippines managing this, the public will be assured of a fast internet connection because the funds come from the government
 

You said it right, but I think you are wrong if you believe the government only blocks those websites to make the internet look faster.

Brother, it's not in my post that blocking sites will make the internet faster; that's not how bandwidth works. I posted that because the funds come from taxpayers' money, the government is obligated to provide the best service to the people to avoid criticism; it's the people's money, so they deserve nothing less.

[Perfectbaby]

This is actually a nice initiative where by they are wanting to cultivate their citizens in a good morale behavior, hence to increase educational programs and make kids and students to freely accessed the Internet without any restrictions where for they would have to set some restrictions amongst her citizens. This is very encouraging, especially to those who are gambling constantly without restrictions and limitations to how they should be gambling online, of course this help nurture those who can't really control their desires for gambling to reduce how often they frequently remain online and even if they can bypass those sites through VPN at least it would so be a registered one and not even they would be that willing to pay for to bypassed their site or possibly using their own network which would additionally require them more cost to access the Internet.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Well, their Wi-Fi, their rules.

I haven't seen anyone here in our local community using the free public WiFI to gamble. Our local city has our own free WIFI and there are even just a few blocks away from me. What I'm seeing is those young kinds connecting and then using it for their social media.

I suppose it’s the same as watching porn: people watch it at home; they’re not going to log onto the government network to watch it in the street, even if they were allowed to.

But as what the majority of Filipino says, this is a good move by the government as free WIFI is not meant to be used for gambling.

Yes, I think that’s the right thing to do as well.

[acroman08]

Gambling is rampant in the Philippines because it's legal, and the Philippines is one of the top users of porn sites, so they don't want abuse of this free WiFi; they only want responsible users, and they don't encourage gambling and abuse.

Not just because it is legal, but also because people have easy access to it, too. Their move to block online gambling casinos on the free Wi-Fi they are going to provide is probably so as not to possibly significantly increase the already concerning number of people who have gambling issues in the country.

WiFi in the Philippines is slow and expensive, and with the Philippines managing this, the public will be assured of a fast internet connection because the funds come from the government

I wouldn't say the internet here is slow, but the speed could differ from provider to provider. Anyway, sadly, our government here is extremely corrupt, and I don't have much trust that they will give a fast internet connection on the Free Wi-Fi they are going to provide.

[nimogsm]

I also think this is a good solution. Public Wi-Fi networks should help city residents quickly access information, such as bus schedules or download city maps. Games should be played in designated areas, or at home, since a public network is public for a reason. Of course, this won't stop serious gamers, and a VPN will also bypass this ban. Overall, it's a good initiative.

[danherbias07]

That's a good thing.

Imagine a kid watching porn at the park and with other kids behind him, trying to share what is being shown. That will be shocking. When it comes to gambling, it's the same thing. We are outside for a reason. Either attending something important, going to the store, or just being outside with family, trying to enjoy it. But if an internet connection is available, that would mean a chance for the gamblers to play. It's better if they are cut off from having that kind of urge.