Supreme Court issues TRO against Cybercrime Law

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stopped the implementation of the Republic Act 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. 

The high court justices unanimously issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) after it was flooded by 15 petitions complaining against some provisions of the Cybercrime Law which were deemed unconstitutional. This specifically pointed out provisions include provisions on freedom of speech, right to privacy, equal protection of the law, double jeopardy, and illegal searches and seizures.

NBI traced at least 20 suspected hacktivists

Members of the hacktivist group Anonymous Philippines are now being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation, after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered the agency to go after hackers who defaced websites of government agencies.

Special investigator Joey Narciso of the NBI Computer Crimes Unit said that the NBI had traced at least 20 suspects in the hacking attacks of different government websites the past few weeks.

The websites defaced by the Anonymous Philippines include:
American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc. (ACCPI)
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
Department of Health (DOH)

Food Development Center (FDC)

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS)

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)

Office of the President
Official website of Sen. Vicente Sotto III
Philippine Congress

Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
Philippine National Police (PNP)

Philippine Senate 

Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team (PAPT)
Twitter account of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

TV5 news site turns black in cyber protest

The online news site of TV network TV5, InterAksyon, has joined other websites and social network users in protests against the Cybercrime Law by darkening the content in their main page.

Screen cap of Interaksyon.com

Initiatives of Facebook users to call forth the government's attention for a revision of the Cybercrime Law by changing their profile pictures and/or cover photo with a black image has gained influence, with news portals such as Interaksyon and ABS-CBN News taking online action as well.

Blacked-out status updates have flooded Facebook feeds recently as Facebook users intentionally blackened portions of their posts that deemed critical to the government.

The past weeks, hackers dubbed Anonymous Philippines defaced tens of government websites in their protest against the implementation of the Cybercrime Law. The number of petitions filed before the Supreme Court have totaled to 8 as of posting time.

Netizens use Facebook to spread Black Out Call on Tuesday

A letter, related to a raging protest against the Cybercrime Law, has been circulating in social network Facebook encouraging users to change their primary photos with a black image/background.

Also, the writer/s of the letter/post called on "website administrators in the Philippines to take down/blacken their websites" from 12 midnight in protest of the forthcoming implementation of the  presumed-to-be-dangerous law.

The full letter of the Black Out Call, which have been re-posted and shared several times in Facebook, is quoted below.

BLACK OUT CALL
================================== 

Tomorrow, October 2, the Supreme Court sitting en banc is set to hear several petitions for prohibition against the Cybercrime Prevention Law.

If the high court junks these petitions and disapproves the request for a temporary restraining order (TRO), the Cybercrime Prevention Law will take effect the following day, forever changing the Internet landscape in the Philippines -- possibly even killing Internet freedom. 

As a sign of protest, please take down your profile pictures and cover photos and change it to a simple black image.  

We also call on website administrators in the Philippines to take down/blacken their websites starting 12 midnight in protest of the looming implementation of the draconian law. There are several plugins available in the net to do so (GIYF). 

With enough websites participating, we can be a formidable force that can compel the government to think twice. 

================================== 

Our dear Filipino netizens, the government is taking the Internet away from us. It is but just to reclaim it in all ways possible.
NETIZENS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! 

================================== 

Please share and repost.

Demonstrations will take place in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday at around 10:30 AM as Anonymous Philippines and its constituents called for support in their cause.

Bloody Monday attacks: at least 15 government websites defaced by Anonymous Philippines

Members of the hacktivist group Anonymous Philippines ended Bloody Monday with continuous attacks on government websites in its continuous protest against certain provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, also called Republic Act 10175.

The sites defaced by constituent hacker-supporters of the group early Monday morning are:

• National Telecommunications Commission
• NFA Food Development Center
• Vigan Ciry Website 
• Philippine Information Agency 
• Taraka Municipality of Lanao del Sur 
• PCRG Philippine National Police 

But, it didn't stop there as more website attacks and social network intrusion were launched on the first hours of Tuesday, the date of the planned demonstration in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 2). The government sites newly hit include:

• Twitter account of DSWD (which transmitted to its Facebook profile)
• main website of San Fernando City and its tourism sub-domain
• DOST's One-Stop Information Shop of the Philippines (OSISP)
• Department of Interior and Local Governement (DILG) website
• Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
• Optical Media Board (OMB)
• Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
• Maritime Training Council (MTC)
• Provincial website of Batangas
• SmokeFree sub-site of Department of Health (DOH)
• Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL)
• National Telecommunications Commission NTC
• Philippine Anti-Piracy Team (PAPT)
• Presidential website

PNP Facebook Fan Page admin warns against online badmouthers

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 will be implemented on October 3, yet it was already used by the PNP FB page's admin to warn an FB user who commented "foul words"on its page.

Seems like the PNP FB page Admin resorted to damage control by taking down the page which had almost 9000 followers, after responding (in subtle reference to the newly signed Cybercrime law) to a comment thrown at a PNP FB Page's post about criminology students doing poorly in English.

Here is the exchange of words in the conversation between the commenter and the PNP FB page admin:

Image Screen Cap Courtesy: FilipinoFreeThinkers.Org

The alleged comment by the PNP Fan Page admin sparked netizen outrage, some sharing the screen caps on Facebook and ranting on the possibilities of suppression of freedom of speech and harming of cyber-rights through the Cybercrime law. Others lashed out, to great dismay that the page with a great following was closed and no apology was issued from the admin.

Meanwhile, the PNP's Public Information Office issued a press statement that said PNP "denies any official connection to a message which appeared in one facebook account found by many to be offensive, threatening and malicious."

The official statement from the Office of PNP Spokesperson PcSupt Generoso Cerbo Jr. may be viewed below.

Anonymous Philippines attacks more govenment websites on "Bloody Monday"

Members of the hacktivist group Anonymous Philippines strike again, hitting government websites in its continuous protest against certain provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, also called Republic Act 10175, on Monday, October 1, 2012.

The sites defaced by constituent hacker-supporters of the group are:

• National Telecommunications Commission (http://ntc.gov.ph/)
• NFA Food Development Center (http://www.fdc.net.ph/)
• Vigan Ciry Website (http://vigancity.gov.ph/anonymous.html)
• Philippine Information Agency (http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=81349025594)
• Taraka Municipality of Lanao del Sur (http://www.taraka.gov.ph/)
• PCRG Philippine National Police (http://pcrg.pnp.gov.ph/)

The hack attacks, not only voiced out Anonymous Philippines' opposition to the Act, but threw some allegations against unnamed individuals/entities working in the agencies concerned. These include involvements in crimes such as corruption, plagiarism, and money laundering.

Prior to the "Bloody Monday" attack, at least five website have been defaced Sunday. These include ProjectPartners.PH, the Batangas City website (which redirected to the sub-site of CHED Region 1), Agusan del Sur website, the NBI website, and the Tarlac City website. Non-governmental sites had also been attacked including an online unit of the Lorma institution and a personal site JonathanMacagba.com.

Philippines: No. 4 in Southeast Asia as Origin of Internet Security Threats

(earlier reported in Inquirer.net)

A report scooped by Inquirer.net reveals that Philippines ranks 4th in SE Asia as source of internet security threats in the area. Also, it ranks 10th in the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) Region. The news portal continues, by saying that Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report Volume 15 puts Philippines behind Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, where zombies, bots and other malicious programs come from. In that same report, it was exposed that Philippines ranks 6th as origin of Web-based attacks.

The country also has a significant number of bot-infected computers. Symantec said bots were “covertly installed” on a computer that allowed hackers to remotely control one’s computer to commit cybercrimes like identity theft and data breaches.

The country is also one of the hosts of phishing URLs in APJ. In fact, Symantec said the country ranked second for phishing in Southeast Asia.

Phishing attempts to acquire someone’s information like passwords, usernames, and other information such as those found on credit cards. Symantec said that locally, the target of phishing was the financial sector, with 92 percent of its URLs being “spoofed” or copied.

How does the government address this concern?  Last year, a news site reported that websites of  Philippine commissions and agencies have been attacked and infiltrated by international cyber criminals. Moreover, leakage and theft of identities and accounts have been realized by nations across the globe. Will this be a threat to our national security? How can normal citizens help in fighting these unwanted events?

You may view the original article here.