Philippine Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

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“CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT OF 2012” Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 aims to address legal issues concerning online interactions. Among the cybercrime offenses included in the bill are cyber squatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data and libel. Surely, this law aims to stop or lessen cybercrimes in the Philippines, but some contents of it really go against the freedom of expression and privacy. The Philippine Government’s intention in passing this bill as law may be purely for the intention of providing adequate security to the Filipino “netizens” in the cyberspace, however, we think that those who crafted the law did not really considered the pulse of the public with regards to passing it as law, more so to the negative implications some provisions of it could bring to the public. The government should be widely aware that such law could be very controversial that if they have the purest intention in passing it for the welfare of its people, the government should have made a nationwide informational campaign about the bill and get thoughts or feelings (pulse) of the nation about it. Honestly, we think that the way of passing it as a law was very sneaky in nature. The public (even the media) was actually surprised that this law has already been passed and due to effect in days. The mere people that the government should be serving/protecting somehow acted in their behind just so the bill could be passed as a law. Further, the following are the provisions of the law that the group thinks very disadvantageous to the Filipino citizens that somehow alienates democratic rights as a free country: 1. Libel Clause – Our group thinks that the libel clause is the most controversial content in the law where it totally takes away the freedom of speech and expression from the Filipino citizens. Further, the basis of the libel
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