Philippine President Signs Cybercrime Prevention Act Into Law

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III has signed into law the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, a far-ranging piece of legislation that was passed by the Senate in June and made official Wednesday. A government official said that the new law is intended to curtail a number of offenses frequently committed on the internet, but that it also prohibits certain content-related behavior. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview that "punishable acts under the new law include offenses against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data system, illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference and misuse of devices." The law also includes offenses such as computer-related forgery, fraud, libel and identity theft, as well as content-related offenses such as cybersex and child pornography. "The law also punishes unsolicited commercial communications or cyber squatting," the Manila Sun Star reported. "Cyber squatting is the acquisition of a person’s domain name in bad faith to profit, mislead, destroy the reputation and deprive others from registering the same." Valte said the new provisions will require the creation of new cybercrime units within the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police. “They need to beef up (anti-cybercrime forces)," she said. "There are provisions for the creation of these specialized units to enforce the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012." The Philippines is not exactly known for being a nation hospitable to certain online activities. AVN reported in  2010 the case of two Swedish men sentenced to life in prison for running live cam sites. "Disrespect for Filipino women and violations of our laws deserve the strongest condemnations from this court," said Judge Jeoffre Acebido in his ruling. "It will not shirk from its duty to impose the most severe of penalties against anybody, be he a foreign national or a citizen of this country, who tramples upon the dignity of a woman by taking advantage of her vulnerability." According to Reuters at the time, “Law enforcement agencies say cybersex, or providing sexually explicit material over the Internet, is a growing industry in many parts of the world, including in the Philippines, where there is perceived to be a low risk of arrest and high returns."