In support of the movement to repeal the recently passed Anti-Cybercrime Act, Filipino netizens on Tuesday turned their Facebook and Twitter profile pictures to black. The movement started at daybreak and quickly gained momentum over the day until social media were awash with blacked-out status updates and profile pics.

 

Engaged social media users dubbed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 or Republic Act 10175 a veritable "Cyber Martial Law" that threatened Internet users' freedom of expression by way of a provision on online libel, inserted into the bill only during the bicameral conference.

 

In addition to using images of protest, netizens also posted comments with black blocks to simulate the possible censorship the Anti-Cybercrime Act might soon impose among bloggers and even the most casual users of social media.

 

On Twitter, words were blacked out to render incomplete phrases and sentences, eventually turning everything into a fill-in-the-blank meme:

 

We will not be ████. Never again.

— Carlos H. Conde (@carloshconde) October 2, 2012

 

Aquino’s #CybercrimeLaw destroys Internet freedom bit.ly/PsRh3F

— Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) October 1, 2012

 

Guys, heads up lang, the password to my PayPal account is ████████████████████████.[ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ.] (ʀᴀ ɴᴏ. 10175).

— Mark De Joya (@MDJSuperstar) October 2, 2012

 

So Sen. █████ voted for the Cybercrime Law. Takot siguro ma leak ang █████ with █████ last █████ (ʀᴀ ɴᴏ. 10175)

— Zarah Hernaez (@zeeheehee) October 2, 2012

 

 

Dear ██████, our taxes are paying you to read every bill you sign.

— Sherwin Sowy (@ssowy) October 2, 2012

 

Active protest against the bill also got the hashtag #NoToCybercrimeLaw trending by Tuesday afternoon.

 

It seems like the government will do anything just to make sure that it's citizens would not be too smart to fight back. #NOTOCYBERCRIMELAW

— jerome allen lorico (@acidgrin3) October 1, 2012

 

They used to make laws to protect the people, now they make laws to protect themselves. #NoToCyberCrimeLaw @krizzy_kalerqui @dudeinterrupted

— Denise Meñez (@denisemischaele) October 1, 2012

 

You don't get to destroy the internet just because you can't handle criticism - Junk Republic Act 10175 #NoToCyberCrimeLaw

— Cheska Sy(@deadmansCHES) October 2, 2012

 

 

As the government's implementing body, the Department of Justice is tasked to draft the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of R.A. 10175, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Monday. 

 

“We have our law now and it is our duty to execute the law, unless otherwise declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court or unless repealed by the crafters of the law, the Congress,” she said.

 

Although the DOJ may “clarify certain ambiguous provisions in the law,” De Lima clarified that the “IRR cannot go beyond or against the provisions of the law.”

 

The DOJ is set to hold a multi-sectoral forum on Oct. 9 to discuss the controversial Cybercrime law, which takes effect on Oct. 3.

 

“The DOJ recommended the deletion of [the provisions for] cyberdefamation, cyberthreats and internet libel,” de Lima said. — TJD, GMA News