Former Bayan Muna party-list representative Neri Colmenares has warned against the putting up of cell towers within camps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) by the Dito Telecommunity, saying it might become a bridge for China’s espionage mission in the country. The Philippine government has inked a deal allowing the Dito Telecommunity, which was recently granted franchise by Congress, to install cell towers within military camps, similar to mobile service providers Smart and Globe. Earlier, Dito Telecommunity Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano said the fears that cell towers will be used for spying were misplaced as the Philippines is not at war with China. To ease fears on possible spying, Dito tapped US-based Fortinet as its primary cyber security provider. However, Colmenares cited the research of mobile security firm Zimperium that potential security issues exist in cell towers or base transceiver stations which can allow hackers to hijack the entire cell phone tower.

Source: Manila Times October 04, 2020 05:03 UTC