BEWARE those who want to test the law on cybercrimes. There are criminal cases now on internet shaming to serve as precedence for court action to stop this illegal practice.
Take the case of the two boys who were named in criminal complaints filed with the Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office. The complaint filed by the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Office 7 said the two boys were responsible for spreading on social media and on mobile phones a photo of a girl with her breasts exposed.
Then there were cases of sex videos uploaded on social media without the consent of the other party. In many of these cases, the internet shaming, or the act of posting material online to expose others to shame or ridicule, was made to get back at the person, to put an end to a dispute, or simply to have fun at the expense of others.
Slowly, with the help of convictions of people responsible for online attacks, those on social media or who use gadgets to destroy reputations will learn there are consequences to their actions.
The police anti-cybercrime group reported in 2016 a total of 555 cases of online swindling, libel, threat, video voyeurism, identity theft and hacking. There are 54 million internet users in the Philippines as of June 2016, according to www.internetworldstats.com. As more people use the internet, online offenses are expected to rise. I did not find a record of the number of convictions for cyber offenses but police noted an increase in complaints in recent years.
The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, described as “An act defining cybercrime, providing for the prevention, investigation, suppression and the imposition of penalties therefor and for other purposes,” took effect when only about 15 to 20 percent of the population was online. Now, with half of Filipinos as internet users, legislators have asked for amendments to cover the use of fictitious social media accounts and the growing incidence of online threats.
Even without these amendments, the law has enough teeth to penalize offenders and discourage others from committing the same acts.
What is needed is to let the public know that you can’t get away with hurting others online without having to face the law. Parents and schools have to impose restrictions to prevent minors from committing cybercrimes, and students should be educated on what action is allowed online and what is prohibited by law. Schools could invite experts like police officials, prosecutors and social workers to speak on responsible action online and on the limits to their exercise of freedom of speech.
Communications students who have been exposed to rules against online libel, threats and other cyber offenses could be sent to barangays to speak with fellow youth. They can be more effective in teaching young people.
With complaints on online shaming and voyeurism reaching the courts and getting reported in media, people become more aware of their rights online and of what action to take if these are violated.