HEAVIER PUNISHMENT FOR CYBERCRIMINALS UNDER LAW--ANGARA

During the recent bicameral conference review of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that cybercriminals will be punished with heavier penalties for offenses like hacking, internet fraud, data interference, identity theft and child pornography as the Internet is capable of reaching larger networks of people.

"For example example, child pornography videos uploaded to YouTube and made viral will warrant greater penalties than the penalties stipulated in the original child pornography law," said Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, as well as author of the original measure.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act lays down a comprehensive legal framework for the detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes such as illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference and misuse of device.

The measure was recently finalized at the bicameral conference committee level and will soon be transmitted to Malacanang for signing into law.

"The Cybercrime Prevention Act will certainly deter people from committing crimes because the virtual world will no longer be a lawless realm. With these measures in place, we are sending the world a strong message that the Philippines is serious about helping keep cyberspace safe," said Angara, also Chair of the Congressional Commission on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE).

Apart from the Cybercrime Prevention Act, he is also the proponent of the Data Privacy Act and the law establishing the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).