Catching up

For the longest time, law and policy has been playing catch-up with technology.

Just this week, the Senate approved on second reading Senate Bill 2357 or the Anti-Image Voyeurism Bill, its counterpart of the Anti-Cyber Boso Bill of the House. 

Under the proposed measure “The penalty of imprisonment of not less than one (5) years nor more than ten (10) years or a fine of not less than One Hundred Thousand Pesos (Pl00,000.00) nor more than Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,000.00) or both at the discretion of the court shall be imposed against a person who shall: a) capture an image of a private area of an individual without his/her consent and knowingly does so under circumstances in which the individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy; or b) capture an image of a private area of an individual with his/her consent but broadcasts the said image without the written permission or consent of said individual.” 

The Bill also enumerates the meanings of the words “capture” and “broadcast”; and phrases “a private area of the individual”; “female breast”; and “under circumstances in which that individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy” under the proposed statute. 

I believe that this measure is long overdue.  I have heard many horror stories of trusting people who were lured to engage in user to user private adult activities online, only to find out later that they have been duped by a total stranger who has hacked into one’s boyfriend or girlfriend’s account.  The horror gets worse when they find out that they have been recorded on the other end, ending with the successful blackmailing and extortion of hundreds of thousands of pesos for the destruction of the videos. 

If this Bill becomes law, the penalties it provides would surely deter those enterprising people from exploiting the internet.  In this aspect, the law is catching up with the technology.