Fourth Blog - RA10175 | Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

Blog # 4 - Republic Act 10175

Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

By: Nicole Bernal Marcial

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  New technologies create new criminal opportunities but few new types of crime. What distinguishes cybercrime from traditional criminal activity? Obviously, one difference is the use of the digital computer, but technology alone is insufficient for any distinction that might exist between different realms of criminal activity. Criminals do not need a computer to commit fraud, traffic in child pornography and intellectual property, steal an identity, or violate someone’s privacy. All those activities existed before the “cyber” prefix became ubiquitous. Cybercrime, especially involving the Internet, represents an extension of existing criminal behavior alongside some novel illegal activities.

  Most cybercrime is an attack on information about individuals, corporations, or governments. Although the attacks do not take place on a physical body, they do take place on the personal or corporate virtual body, which is the set of informational attributes that define people and institutions on the Internet. In other words, in the digital age our virtual identities are essential elements of everyday life: we are a bundle of numbers and identifiers in multiple computer databases owned by governments and corporations. Cybercrime highlights the centrality of networked computers in our lives, as well as the fragility of such seemingly solid facts as individual identity.

What is Cybercrime?

Cybercrime, also called computer crime, the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property, stealing identities, or violating privacy. Cybercrime, especially through the Internet, has grown in importance as the computer has become central to commerce, entertainment, and government.

 Cybercrime refers to any and all illegal activities carried out using technology. Cybercriminals — who range from rogue individuals to organized crime groups to state-sponsored factions — use techniques like phishing, social engineering, and all kinds of malware to pursue their nefarious plans. Find out how cybercrime works and how to protect yourself here.

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Republic Act No. 10175

Also known as Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. It is an act defining cybercrime, providing for the prevention, investigation, suppression and imposition of penalties therefor and for other purposes.

  RA 10175 punishes content-related offenses such as cybersex, child pornography and libel which may be committed through a computer system. It also penalizes unsolicited commercial communication or content that advertises or sells products or services.

  But there are exemptions relating to the sending of unsolicited material: It is not a crime if there is prior consent from the recipient, the communication is an announcement from the sender to users, and if there is an easy, reliable way for the recipient to reject it, among others.

  The law also penalizes offenses against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data and system, such as illegal access, illegal interference, data interference, system interference, misuse of devices, and cyber squatting

  It defines cyber squatting as the acquisition of a domain name on the Internet in bad faith or with the intent to profit, mislead, destroy one’s reputation or deprive others from registering the same domain name. Also covered by the law are computer-related forgery, fraud and identity theft.

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With all these issues regarding internet or cyber world, can minimize or prevent through this Republic Act No. 10175, these are laws that can help so that people are aware of something about the Cyber Crime Law, Penalties, Policies and Responsibilities. This act can help people and the society because the computer network today are spreading and growing over a years ago, it needs to be secure all the aspects of it, that’s why there are laws of it, a law which creates protection, prevention, awareness and give justice for the victims of the cyber crimes which happening today, especially to the Philippines. Many Filipino are used to have many internet accounts especially to the social medias like Facebook, Twitter and others which can influence by others, and some of it used it as crime which are totally happened. Now when i read those Chapters and Sections of the R.A No. 10175, it is really useful today and for other generations, because it improves the security which are supported by many government officials such as NBI, PNP, DOJ and other supported the implementation of the law/ act, level of awareness and emphasize the ethical usage of the cyber or computer network.

  As we use and integrate technology and Internet in our lives, perhaps it is possible that new forms of crimes can happen online and where broader or special legislation will have to be created . Nevertheless, that perspective, whether agreeable or not, brings the importance of having more organized groups of netizens who can interact with policy makers proactively on Internet / technology related policies and do its share of stakeholder consultation. 

In my opinion, cybercrime is a big problem in a technology generation that must be solve. There are many cyber threat out there, and we have to be safe, we have to be secure no matter what it cost.