Cybercrimes

‘Sextortionists’ in PH blamed for Scot’s death MANILA, Philippines—The leaders of the international “sextortion” ring that has victims all over the world have been identified, but Philippine authorities will not disclose their identities just yet as they are still being hunted down.

58 Filipinos are arrested in Taguig, Laguna and the Bicol region for their involvement in an online scam on Facebook that caused the death of at least one teenager in Scotland MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – “Kill yourself mate,” the message read. And so he did. In July 2013, 17-year-old British national Daniel Perry jumped…

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE 2 – 1:33 p.m.) Fifty-eight people have been arrested in the Philippines for their involvement in a giant, global Internet “sextortion” network, local police and Interpol announced in a joint press conference on Friday.

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE – 4:41 p.m.) Two months after it declared the Cyber Crimes Prevention Act of 2012 constitutional, the Supreme Court dismissed on Tuesday several motions for reconsideration filed by media and militant groups as well as members of the academe on the ruling, particularly the provisions on cyber libel.

The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed its ruling last February upholding the constitutionality of key provisions in the controversial Republic Act No. 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act.

After the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) dismissed all motions for reconsideration over the constitutionality of the controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act in February, the law’s detractors are now looking to elevate their concerns to the United Nations.

FORTUNE — It’s that time of year again: Spring is in the air, Monarch butterflies are traveling north, and Verizon’s (VZ) data breach report is making the rounds, freaking out already freaked-out chief information security officers around the globe.

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) conceded that it faces a lot of challenges as far as Internet law enforcement is concerned. One of its problems is the lack of knowledge on cybercrime-related policies by some members of the judiciary, Senior Supt. Gilbert C. Sosa, Anti-Cybercrime Group director, said.

The country, even the world, has so much more to learn when crafting laws that should govern the digital highway. So even if our lawmakers had passed an imperfect law in 2012, only after years of debates, it’s something to be thankful about.

MANILA, Philippines – Nine out of 10 Filipino Internet users fell victim to cybercrime due to lack of awareness on security features of social networks, the Philippine National Police (PNP) bared yesterday.

The Supreme Court ruling on the Cybercrime Law tries to strike a delicate balance between protecting public interest and civil liberties. All 15 justices unanimously decided that sections 12 (real-time collection of traffic data), 19 (restricting or blocking access to computer data), and 4(c)(3) on unsolicited commercial communications were unconstitutional. They were however split on…

SC says Internet libel in cybercrime law constitutional The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Wednesday said the Philippine Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to uphold the constitutionality of the law on online libel could stifle freedom of expression.

MANILA, Philippines – Netizens will now have to be careful with what they post online. The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday upheld the constitutionality of a key provision in the controversial Republic Act No. 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act that criminalizes online libel.

Philippine Daily Inquirer Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, was signed into law by President Aquino on Sept. 12, 2012. Its original goal was to penalize acts like cybersex, child pornography, identity theft and unsolicited electronic communication in the country.

FOR the 21st-century criminal, a new image has emerged. It is locked in shadows, often faceless, anonymous. It lives in a virtual world made up of pixels. It waits for the unthinking, the brash, the carefree.

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday ordered the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to intensify its efforts and increase coordination with concerned government agencies and the private sector to go after child pornography rings in the country.

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine National Police urged Friday telecommunication companies to relax their policies on preserving data relevant to activities on child pornography.

LONDON — Google said Monday it had developed new technology to block child porn from more than 100,000 unique searches, ahead of talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron who has been pushing for action on indecent images

MANILA, Philippines — A number of Filipino youths are now unwittingly providing material for online pornographers as various voyeurs now harvest daring ‘selfie pictures’ posted on the net, a non-government organizaton (NGO) said.

Contrary to what several of my media colleagues have espoused against the RA (Republic Act) 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, I maintain a generally positive view of the legislation. I admit that there are areas in RA 10175 that need to be clarified or rewritten in order that it might…

In a move which confirms existing laws are sufficient to go after cyber criminals even without the controversial Republic Act 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed that her agency will be pursuing a case which would have been the first to be prosecuted under the said law.

“The first victory of the people and of freedom of expression.” That was how Sen. Teofisto Guingona III described the Supreme Court’s issuance Tuesday of a temporary restraining order (TRO) suspending implementation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act for 120 days while the high tribunal decides whether the law violates civil liberties.

The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended implementation of the country’s anti-cybercrime law while it decides whether certain provisions violate civil liberties.

Anybody using popular social networks or who publishes online is now at risk of a long prison term Manila: An international rights watchdog said a new Philippine law governing the use of the Internet would also impact on freedom of expression as much it aims to address cybercrimes.

2012 has been a shaky year for the Internet, notorious recently with the governments trying to crackdown on some of its excesses. Remember SOPA and PIPA and how the Internet managed to strike back such that the US government withdrew its push for those bills?

The Philippines, which has historically never filtered online activity, has passed an act that outlaws a long list of offences including cybersex and libel, at the same time handing the government powers to block site access. President Benigno Aquino III has signed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 — which criminalises a wide range of…

MANILA, Philippines – “50 shades of liability” is how Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Law Dean Ernest Maceda described the layers of ambiguity in Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Unlike the bestselling book “50 Shades of Grey,” however, the law’s contents are far from sexy.

In the Philippines, where virtually everyone who has an Internet connection is on Facebook, it becomes all too easy to change —and even ruin— peoples’ lives without a moment’s forethought or hesitation. Just like millions of other Pinoys, 27-year-old Raymond Malinay is a confessed Facebook fanatic: he spends every free minute online updating his status,…

MANILA, Philippines — More than 350 foreigners, mostly Taiwanese and Chinese, were arrested Thursday by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission in what authorities called the “biggest and most resolute operation” against cybercrime.

Lawmakers are urging Congress to fast track the approval of a measure they have filed to protect victims of cyber bullies. Buhay Party-list Reps. Irwin C. Tieng and Mariano Michael Velarde stressed the need for the immediate passage of House Bill 6116 saying existing laws in the country are not adequate to properly address the…