Global Tech Outage Shows Dangers of Centralized Internet

A global tech outage affecting Microsoft systems has disrupted the digital banking services of banks in the Philippines. BDO Unibank, Metrobank, UnionBank, BPI, RCBC, and PNB all reported technical difficulties, leading to delays and unavailability of some online banking functions. These banks are working with Microsoft to resolve the issues and have advised customers to use ATMs and other available services. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas assured that the financial system remains resilient with unaffected settlement systems.

Editor’s Note: This recent global tech outage that disrupted the digital banking services of major Philippine banks highlights an issue in our nation’s move towards further digitization. While the convenience of online banking is there, the reliance on digital systems can become a significant nuisance for users when these systems fail.

It’s important to note the fact that digital services, including digital IDs, are not universally accessible or reliable. As more personal data is stored and processed online, the risk of malicious access and data breaches increases, posing a significant threat to privacy and security.

When a single point of failure can disrupt banking operations on a global scale, this begs the question of what other damages it can do.