Cybercrime

The Cybercrime Law, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 or RepublicAct 10175, was signed into law last September 12, 2012 to combat the misuse, abuse, and illegalaccess of computer information or data. Republic Act 10175 (2012) is an act definingcybercrime, providing for the prevention, investigation, suppression and the imposition of penalties therefor and for other purposes. The Electronic Commerce Law or the Republic Act8792 on the other hand, was signed into law last June 14, 2000. Republic Act 8792 (2000) is anact providing for the recognition and use of electronic commercial and non-commercialtransaction and documents, penalties for unlawful use thereof and for other purposes.The Cybercrime Law aims to combat illegal access, illegal interception, data interference,system interference, misuse of devices, cyber-squatting, computer-related forgery, computer-related fraud, computer-related identity theft, cybersex, child pornography, unsolicitedcommercial communications, aiding or abetting in the commission of cybercrime, attempt in thecommission of cybercrime, all crimes defined and penalized by the Revised Penal Code, asamended, and special laws, if committed by, through and with the use of information andcommunications technology, and corporate liability. The E-Commerce Law on the contrary,provides legal recognition of commercial and non-commercial electronic documents, electronicdata messages, and electronic signatures. It decrees drawbacks for piracy of protected materialsthrough the use of telecommunication networks and for hacking of computer programs. And itdecrees grounds for liability of service providers (World Intellectual Property Organization,n.d.). In a nutshell, on the grounds that technology emerges relentlessly, computer-related crimesproliferate and therefore the E-Commerce law was inadequate that it does not obscure othercybercrimes. And that is why the Cybercrime law was formulated and was approved.The Cybercrime Law is...