Social and political criticisms
From Digital Journal
The Phil Cybercrime of 2012, which was just recently passed into law by Congress has angered many netizens for its retarded stand on freedom of expressions. The 80 year old law on libel and provision of penal code is just i being applied to the cyber crime law. According to a post, a notorious senator involved in two cases of plagiarism, inserted the provision of libel law (RA 355) without public hearing (How could he and the Senate allow that?)
The law is intended to cover pornography, identity theft, spamming and lately libel. Libel via the social media covers a 12 year jail sentence plus $25,000 fine. My this is stiff. The law allows the state to monitor the account of the user (which is invasion of privacy and Gestapo like?)
The netizens signified the protests by filing a petition at Supreme Court and was led by Prof Harry Roque and Ellen Tordesillas.
Meanwhile, the FB users started showing protests by blackening their profile pictures. Several govt webtsites, apparently in protest of the said law were hacked: that of IPO (under DTI), BSP, American Chamber of Commerce, and Phil Anti Piracy Team. The anonymous hacker demanded the repeal/ amendment of the said law.
Is the fear of the netizens justified"
Is the state justified in passing the law?
What needs to be amended in the cybercrime law?
What are your suggestions?
Read more on cybercrime law
Full text of RA 10175, the Cybercrime Law
Scary provisions of the Anticybercrime Law of 2012
Is PHL under threat to pass such a law?
