Yea and Nay

YEA

It was with a sense of rightness and relief that I read the news the other day saying that Microsoft is helping train Philippine law enforcers how to better deal with cybercrimes. Particularly, the company is working with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Interpol) and the International Police (Interpol) to educate Philippine law enforcers on how to deal with computer-assisted crimes against children and women.

At present, members of the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and the National Defense College of the Philippines are among those receiving the specialized training in the hopes that they will be better-equipped to conduct high-tech investigations relating to crimes such as pornography and pedophilia which are further facilitated by the use of internet technology.

It is only right that Microsoft and other similar companies address issues such as this as a part of their corporate responsibility ethos, since they are the ones who profit the most from the creation of technological products. It must be accepted that for every great piece of technology provided to the public, an even greater threat to unsuspecting end-users (usually women and children) is created to counter it or to abuse it. Apart from the fact that it is morally their (the companies’) responsibility to help police the unpalatable effects of their creation, they are the ones with the resources to do the same.

It was submitted that the creation of a comprehensive cybercrime law would in fact shore up investigations relating to these crimes, since the current law that we employ to catch online predators is the Anti-Trafficking Persons Act (RA 9208) is ineffective to combat crimes done in the cyberworld.

While it is true that the largest number of offensive content now comes from North America and Western Europe, it will only be a matter of time until Asia catches up, and we have to be ready for that time. It is not enough that law enforcers are taught how to better keep up with these predators. To me, the only way we can be ready is if we are able to educate the masses (who stand to be the most vulnerable to these kinds of crimes) by giving them access to the technology, teaching them how to better themselves through it, and arming them with the information necessary to protect them from the same.

NAY

In order to address the problem, our government is creating a coordinating body to work side by side as a complement to private-sector initiated efforts such Microsoft’s. They hope to do this by the creation of National Computer Emergency Response Team which will operate as an umbrella organization for similar smaller coordinate bodies within the government, military, and private sector – the ultimate goal is to come up with uniform policies and enforce coordination among the aforementioned sectors. Furthermore, the government’s goal is to tap the private sector to provide expertise in the creation of safeguarding measures.

Indeed, this steps on the part of the government are necessary, to say the least. What I find so offensive is the P1 billion price tag that is being projected to address this issue. P1 billion – just to create a coordinate body that will police internet crime in a country where 90% of the citizenry don’t have access to basic needs, let alone personal computers. That money would better be spent on providing local government units with the necessary infrastructure and mechanism to teach the citizens exactly what they should be guarded against. Instead of merely tapping private sector groups to merely help in policy-development, we should ask them to provide much-needed equipment and software, as well as training, to LGUs. Seeing that the steps on the part of the government comprises mostly of policy development, I really don’t understand how it could be that expensive. In the long run, I project that the government will again pass the burden of paying that P 1 billion price tag to the taxpayers who will be none the wiser. That, to me, is the real cybercrime.