Cybercrime incidents in the Philippines rose 113 percent in 2014, including complaints on child pornography and Internet fraud, the Department of Justice – Office of Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) said.
In its 2014-2015 Cybercrime report, DOJ said the number of cybercrime incidents posted a big jump last year despite the implementation of Cybercrime Prevention Act, which was signed by President Aquino in 2012. The law addresses legal issues concerning online interactions and specifically criminalizes computer crime.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the government give more protection to the children, whom she considered as “most vulnerable in our society.”
DOJ said it sounded the alarm bells over the rising number of child pornography websites globally even if the number of online child abuse-related complaint remains relatively low.
Citing a data that it has gathered, the DOJ said that there had been a 345 percent increase in child pornography sites from year 2001 up to present, and more than 20,000 child pornographic images on the internet every week.
“I speak of our Filipino children who are ever more acquainted with modern technology, especially in the internet. It is more important that we protect our children against online child abuse and punish those who are treacherously doing harm using anonymity in cyberspace,” she said.
Aside from child pornography and Internet fraud, the other cybercrime complaints include Internet libel and Voyeurism.
Manila Bulletin
