Police watch over 31 provinces considered as cybercrime ‘hotspots’

The Philippine National Police is watching over 31 provinces in the country considered as cybercrime “hotspots” for harboring cybersex and cyberporn hubs.

 

Eighteen provinces in Luzon, six in Visayas, and seven in Mindanao are under investigation, according to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime group, as reported by GMA News TV's “State of the Nation” on Monday.

 

 

Police Supt. Ivy Castillo, PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group women and children protection desk chief, withheld the identification of these “hotspot” provinces.

 

“Under investigation pa ito kaya hindi ko masasabi [kung saan ang mga probinsiyang ito]. Madali lang kasi maglipat [ng operations] kung malaman nila (cybercriminals),” she told GMA News Online in a phone interview on Tuesday.

 

Recently, the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercime Division raided an establishment in Sta. Mesa, Manila suspected as a cyberporn hub, the television report said.

 

Operatives nabbed 12 employees who were allegedly operating the cybersex den. NBI also confiscated the computers containing malicious videos of underaged women.

 

Employees of the cybersex den, according to the NBI, would recruit teenagers (15 years old and below) purportedly as models, who would be used as the object of the sexy videos. To monetize their business, the employees would chat over the internet with foreigners from America, Australia or United Kingdom, and ask for payment in exchange of a video of their choice. A pre-recorded video, then, would be sent to the buyer.

 

“Recently napunta ang Pilipinas sa mapa [ng cybercrime] dahil nga sa child pornography issue so we have a directive to go against these child pornographers and this is one of the results of that drive,” NBI Cybercrime chief Ronald Abuto was quoted in the television report.

 

Last January, Virtual Global Task Force, a group of international agencies against child pornography, included the Philippines in its list of top 10 countries with rampant cyber pornographic activities.

 

Last year, NBI recorded 59 cases of cyber pornography in the country, the television report added.

 

Meanwhile, the NBI Cybercrime chief noted that the lack of an anti-cybercrime law hampers operations against criminals.

 

“Ngayon kasi wala pa tayong batas para mag-oblige na magretain ng logs. On top of that, 'yung mga criminals gumagamit ng prepaid SIM card for internet connections, and since prepaid SIM cards are not regulated in our country, 'di natin natutunton 'yung mga culprit na gumagawa nito,” Abuto lamented. —KG, GMA News