Complaint over child porn, first under Cybercrime Law

The first cybercrime complaint on child pornography has been filed at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy revealed on Tuesday.

 

On the day that the Cyber Prevention Act of 2012 came into effect on October 3, a 17-year-old girl filed a complaint asking for help regarding her sex video that has been circulating on the Internet for two years, Sy told reporters on the sidelines of a multi-sectoral forum regarding the controversial measure.

 

The complaint was sent through an email addressed to Justice Secretary Leila De Lima:  

^{Censored screengrab of the email sent to De Lima, lodging a complaint vs online videos.}

 

“The report has been verified,” Sy noted. However, he said that they have yet to ask the websites involved to remove the video. The justice department has new powers to order the take-down of the video, or order telcos to block access to the site which hosts it.

 

“What we can do now is not to watch it… Online crime reporting is a challenge [because] the nature of cybercrime is permanence of data,” he explained.

 

Republic Act 10175 faces 15 petitions at the Supreme Court challenging its constitutionality.

 

Some of the petitioners argue that the law, which the President signed last September, violates freedom of speech, and right to due process. — TJD/HS, GMA News