Do the passives for signets count towards Empowered in the Tactics tree?

Or do you need to activate them to get the extra 1% damage boost per boon?

Buffs are not Boons, so they wouldn't count. You can tell the difference as Boons use a yellow/white icon with a point at the bottom, while buffs (and debuffs) are usually squares with unique icon art.

I was afraid of that. Thanks for clearing it up.