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Sunday, September 30, 2012

THE Internet can be such a wild place, our lexicon created a word for such violations: cybercrime.

Yet a barrage of protests has met the passage last September of Republic Act (RA) 101751, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

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Bloggers, Netizens, civil rights activists and journalists are calling for the repeal of the law, which, aside from penalizing cybercrimes like online pornography and trafficking, includes more severe penalties for cyber libel.

Objections

Five groups representing lawyers, journalists and bloggers have questioned the law before the Supreme Court, reported Elias O. Baquero in Sun.Star Cebus Sept. 30 issue.

The same report quoted the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC), which, in a resolution, asked that the law be reviewed for provisions that (violate) the constitutional guarantee of free speech and free press, due process of law, and equal protection of the law.

The ambiguity of the laws definition of cyberlibel opens the implementation to abuses. According to the CCPC, this is a serious omission.

The CCPC cited the power of the Department of Justice to shut down websites without a court order. To prove suspicions, the authorities can tap and record a persons calls, e-mails and other private communication coursed through computers and mobile phones.

Read the original post:
Editorial: Self-regulating the Net