Philippine President Defends Cybercrime Law

This law/provision is pretty disgusting; it's basically a legislative blend of the Patriot Act, NDAA, and SOPA combined. By declare of the Philippine president himself, it's their place to jail any internet user that not only "defames", but anyone remotely associated; and I quote ""Anyone who shares offending content could end up behind bars, even if he or she did not write it. Merely a Facebook 'Like' could be construed as libel."

Phillipines president defends cybercrime law



There you have it. The Philippine government thinks they have the right to lock people up for so much as liking a a facebook post.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino defended a new cybercrime law Friday amid a storm of protests from critics who say it will severely curb Internet freedoms and intimidate web users into self-censorship.

Aquino specifically backed one of the most controversial elements of the law, which mandates that people who post defamatory comments online be given much longer jail sentences than those who commit libel in traditional media.

Another controversial element of the law, which went into effect on Wednesday, allows the government to monitor online activities, such as e-mail, video chats and instant messaging, without a warrant.

The government can also now close down websites it deems to be involved in criminal activities without a warrant.

"Anyone who shares offending content could end up behind bars, even if he or she did not write it. Merely a Facebook 'Like' could be construed as libel," it said in a statement.

"This act is a gross overreach that severely jeopardises the Philippines' status as a country with a free Internet."

Libel i.e defamation is: "the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, religion, or nation a negative or inferior image."

Insanity at its finest.