The Bad: A Look Back on Top Local Tech Stories of 2014

2014 is drawing to a close and we thought of compiling the worst that the local tech industry has to offer, as well as some tech-related stories that either provoked anger to most of our readers or, worse, make them feel ashamed to be part of. Sit back, relax, and let’s look back on some of this year’s epic fails in the technology segment.

Editor’s note: the news/topics on the list are arranged in chronological manner.

1. The Inevitable F***UP – Globe Telecoms subscribers greeted 2014 with a sour taste in their mouth as the Ayala-owned telco has announced that it will be stricter in implementing the Fair Use Policy.

In the weeks that followed, Globe tried to justify the need to enforce data capping by explaining how it works and by pointing out that only 3% of their subscribers will be affected by this.

Obviously, users that fall under Globe’s 3% category (such as us) contemplated on switching to Smart thinking that they will not go down the same route. Sadly, this was not the case as the MVP-owned telco scrapped the unlimited data allocation in the latter part of 2014.

2. DepEd Has an Eye for Antique PCs – Just when the 2014 school year is about to commence, AksyonTV has uncovered that DepEd purchased PCs with outdated specs for Php400,00 each under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.

Unfortunately, like most of the anomalies that involve government officials, the issue is still not resolved as we speak.

3. The House Bill Which Must Not Be Named – 2014 is undoubtedly the year of the selfie. But just because it’s popular doesn’t mean that politicians must use the term to name a House Bill (HB4807) after it, especially if it has little to do with self-portraits but more about privacy.

First proposed to the Congress on August, the House Bill 4807 coined as the Anti-Selfie Bill reached second reading after it was dissed by the House of Representatives a month later due to the overwhelming opposition from various media organizations, as well as photography associations which claims that it will violate the freedom of the press.

4. Pushed a Little Too Far – In the string of mishaps and inconveniences that MRT passengers endure on a regular basis, none are probably more worthy of a facepalm than the recent accident that took place on the afternoon of August 13.

This incident was a case of being pushed a little bit too far (literally and figuratively) as the train that stopped between Magallanes and Taft Avenue station was being pushed by another train when the coupling mechanism unbuckled, leaving the defective train going over board and destroying everything in its path.

5. The Sale That Didn’t Quite Hit The Mark – Sales are almost always a win-win for consumers and companies, but only if proper forecasting and careful implementation was made. Well, I think we can all agree that the companies behind the infamous ZTE Grand X2 L Sale might have overlooked these two just a little bit.

Hundreds, if not thousands of consumers flocked participating branches and outlets all over the archipelago with hopes of grabbing the Php12k-worth smartphone which was being sold, at that time, for only Php1,999. Instead a lot of them went home with a long face and are prepared to bring out their pitchforks as there were no sufficient stocks of the ZTE Grand X2 L to go around for everybody.