A civil suit was filed against Craigslist by an Illinois Sheriff who says that the online classified ads site is the "single largest source of prostitution in the nation." The subject of the suit in particular is Craigslist's "erotic services" section where users can post ads anonymously much like one would place an ad for a party planning business or a used laptop for sale. The site, naturally, insists that it has actively been engaged in assisting law enforcers in apprehending those who utilize its services for illicit activities, which the plaintiff has dismissively tagged as a huge publicity stunt for even bigger tax breaks. Even the newly added requirement of paying a fee for posting on the "erotic services" section can be circumvented simply by using stolen cards. At the very least, those who seek to profit handsomely will surely find other ways to bypass such a simple requirement.
Craigslist is confident that it can successfully defend itself against this latest attack, and it's probably safe to assume that it can since it cannot possibly be held liable for user generated or uploaded content which it does not own. The site may possibly be a facilitator, but is certainly not the source. And basing its liability on the fact that its a medium for prostitution rings or drug traffickers means that the law will also have to punish print media, motels and nightclubs as well.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
PMC, LTO & ICT by FRFP
I was at the Supreme Court last Tuesday doing research for my SLR paper and I happen to chat with DCA Bernardo T. Ponferrada, the head of the Philippine Mediation Center. He started talking about the case for mediation in the Philippines and the leaps that court-annexed mediation has done for the management of case dockets in the judiciary. At one point, he mentioned that what he truly wanted was there to be video-conferencing for mediation. I immediately thought: "topic for ICT blog." True enough, here I am, writing about my experience last Tuesday.
The thing is, the different agencies of our Government has been pushing for technological advancement in their respective fields. During an interview we conducted two years ago with then LTO Chief Reynaldo Berroya, I was impressed to find out that they have purchased PDAs, which are tied in to their system, such that traffic enforcers can merely type in the license plates of cars, and out goes the entire history of that vehicle, violations and all. I know that that's normal for other countries but in the Philippines? They were actually pushing that a monitor be placed in the cars such that if there's a traffic violation the Traffic Enforcers can merely scan the car for the pertinent information and need not rush after them to get the license plate.
It seems like we're catching up.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
New rules, Lots of Laws
Early this week, the BSP issued new guidelines on electronic money transactions. The new rules are deemed to be the first of its kind of electronic innovation in the world. Huh?
Under the new guidelines, e-money is not considered as deposits and therefore not covered by the deposit insurance of the PDIC.The new rules also placed e-money transactions as covered by the AMLA. Really? So?
My good eye glazed over in the next few paragraphs of the news report. I also have yet to read the actual BSP guidelines. Not with finals and paper deadlines looming over our heads, mine more precariously so.
A little earlier, there were also reports of moves to again (!) automate the elections. Ho-hum! Anything new?
If in the US a glitch in the electronic voting system could inadvertently spell the loss of some thousands of crucial ballots, how much more in this country where electoral fraud has reached an unprecedented level of sophistication?
Only in the Philippines can someone like De Los Angeles actually hatch and execute his diabolical plans and go around our supposed secure banking and financial laws and bamboozle thousands who are suckers for all these get rich quick schemes.
Well, there are rules and there are rules. In our jurisdiction, we actually do not face a lack of laws. What is sorely lacking is the effective enforcement of these laws.
Doesn't say much for any branch of our purported government. Doesn't say much for many of us.
Under the new guidelines, e-money is not considered as deposits and therefore not covered by the deposit insurance of the PDIC.The new rules also placed e-money transactions as covered by the AMLA. Really? So?
My good eye glazed over in the next few paragraphs of the news report. I also have yet to read the actual BSP guidelines. Not with finals and paper deadlines looming over our heads, mine more precariously so.
A little earlier, there were also reports of moves to again (!) automate the elections. Ho-hum! Anything new?
If in the US a glitch in the electronic voting system could inadvertently spell the loss of some thousands of crucial ballots, how much more in this country where electoral fraud has reached an unprecedented level of sophistication?
Only in the Philippines can someone like De Los Angeles actually hatch and execute his diabolical plans and go around our supposed secure banking and financial laws and bamboozle thousands who are suckers for all these get rich quick schemes.
Well, there are rules and there are rules. In our jurisdiction, we actually do not face a lack of laws. What is sorely lacking is the effective enforcement of these laws.
Doesn't say much for any branch of our purported government. Doesn't say much for many of us.
Deal with it
I was reading “The Constitutional Foundations of Privacy,” of Justice Cortes wherein she recognized that the use of computers poses new threats to privacy. She states that “it may interfere and ultimately deprive the individual of the right to control the flow of information about himself.” Basically this was because of the possibility of dissemination of information to an audience one didn’t intend to share the information with or by giving inaccurate information leading to a wrong impression about a person.
Which makes me wonder about those who arent very computer savy – how do they deal with the possibility of having their information shared with the world without their knowledge?
Information is constantly sent over the internet, through internet banking, buying on Amazon, etc. What if a phishing site was able to take his credit card number? Or was able to take their log-in information and impersonate them, causing all sorts of mayhem. Is there a way to absolutely protect ourselves from such situations? Or are we doomed to live in either ignorance or fear of the evils of technology? Yes, its difficult to imagine a life separate from something that has become a part of daily life. Guess we’ll just have to deal with it.
Which makes me wonder about those who arent very computer savy – how do they deal with the possibility of having their information shared with the world without their knowledge?
Information is constantly sent over the internet, through internet banking, buying on Amazon, etc. What if a phishing site was able to take his credit card number? Or was able to take their log-in information and impersonate them, causing all sorts of mayhem. Is there a way to absolutely protect ourselves from such situations? Or are we doomed to live in either ignorance or fear of the evils of technology? Yes, its difficult to imagine a life separate from something that has become a part of daily life. Guess we’ll just have to deal with it.
What a waste
Garbage disposal has been a persistent problem in the Philippines as with the rest of the world. Just recently, I saw a news report stating that waste from mobile phones (along with their attachments) and their batteries already consist 5% of the world’s total garbage output. However, the problem lies with the non-recyclability of certain items (such as a simple charger). Apparently, mobile phones and their accessories were not designed to be eco-friendly. This is actually alarming given the abundance of phones that are being produced to date.
That is why I would support the move that a universal charger be adopted. This plan basically encourages that all mobile phone manufacturers would agree to create one simple charger that would work for all type of phone. In addition, this model would be ecological meaning it can be easily recycled or reused. Mobile phone technology has indeed become more accessible and has not yet reached its full potential. Nonetheless, at this early stage, one should already be sure that the future of our environment will not be affected.
But the advocacy does not end here. Other technologies should take a look at the impact their products have affected the environment as well. All electronics manufacturers should be mindful of the goods that they produce and how they can contribute in eradicating the litter they help create.
That is why I would support the move that a universal charger be adopted. This plan basically encourages that all mobile phone manufacturers would agree to create one simple charger that would work for all type of phone. In addition, this model would be ecological meaning it can be easily recycled or reused. Mobile phone technology has indeed become more accessible and has not yet reached its full potential. Nonetheless, at this early stage, one should already be sure that the future of our environment will not be affected.
But the advocacy does not end here. Other technologies should take a look at the impact their products have affected the environment as well. All electronics manufacturers should be mindful of the goods that they produce and how they can contribute in eradicating the litter they help create.
Rejected by Seven Technologies Part II
Remember my last article about the theory that technology may make a hard life harder and a great life greater? Well, here is a touch of reality and let us not go far. Let us look at a plight of a poor law student.
A poor law student have to pay more for renting a computer which costs 20php per hour and for printing which costs 5php per page in order to submit a paper, than if the poor law student have to submit a handwritten paper (like in the 70’s).
A poor law student is less updated (having no cellphone, no personal computer and no internet access) when announcements by the dean, by professors and by the block president is communicated through this technologies. Especially if that announcement is “No Class Today!”
Thus, the hard life of a poor law student is made harder as the inventions on technologies progresses.
Thus, the poor law student must graduate from law school and pass the bar to be able to escape from this dilemma. Nice motivation.=)
A poor law student have to pay more for renting a computer which costs 20php per hour and for printing which costs 5php per page in order to submit a paper, than if the poor law student have to submit a handwritten paper (like in the 70’s).
A poor law student is less updated (having no cellphone, no personal computer and no internet access) when announcements by the dean, by professors and by the block president is communicated through this technologies. Especially if that announcement is “No Class Today!”
Thus, the hard life of a poor law student is made harder as the inventions on technologies progresses.
Thus, the poor law student must graduate from law school and pass the bar to be able to escape from this dilemma. Nice motivation.=)
BPO
The passage of the E-commerce Act in year 2000 marks the commencement of the meteoric rise in the Philippines of a major industry related to ICT. This is the Business Process Outsourcing industry comprises several “sub-industries” such as call centers, medical transcription, legal process outsourcing, web development and back-office outsourcing.
I remember during this time, many call center companies have sprouted in the business districts of Makati, Ortigas and Libis in QC which were renowned for massive recruitment of workers usually those who were fresh from college. Many workers were attracted to these jobs because of the highly competitive compensation package that awaits the successful applicant. Some call center companies even gave signing bonuses for the new hires. Moreover, most companies have very brief hiring procedures that take only a day or two, i.e., from the time the applicant submitted his/her resume up to the time that he/she signs the employment contract.
Be that as it may, there is also a bad side to this story. Even though these companies attracted workers by hordes, they also suffered high attrition rates. This fact may be attributed to the peculiar working schedules in these companies. Almost all call center companies operate 24/7 which means that some employees will be assigned to work from 10 o’ clock in the evening up to 6 o’ clock in the morning. This is necessary because they need to approximate the working hours in western countries particularly the US where most of their client companies are located. Many call center employees cannot stand the difficulty of working in the wee hours that some of them got burned out while other got hospitalized. These are some of the hidden risks that come with working in call center companies.
I know this for a fact because just last month, my 24-year old neighbor-friend was rushed to the hospital because she suffered a mild stroke while working at 2:30 in the morning. She was assigned in the 10pm-6am shift for 3 and a half months straight prior to the incident. Luckily, my friend was able to recover but the doctor strongly advised her not to work in evening shifts anymore. But how could she possibly do that? She could only heed that advice if either the company allows her to change shifts or find another job. The second option is next to impossible at this point in time when finding a decent job may be likened to finding a needle in a haystack.
Raymond Roque
06-78143
I remember during this time, many call center companies have sprouted in the business districts of Makati, Ortigas and Libis in QC which were renowned for massive recruitment of workers usually those who were fresh from college. Many workers were attracted to these jobs because of the highly competitive compensation package that awaits the successful applicant. Some call center companies even gave signing bonuses for the new hires. Moreover, most companies have very brief hiring procedures that take only a day or two, i.e., from the time the applicant submitted his/her resume up to the time that he/she signs the employment contract.
Be that as it may, there is also a bad side to this story. Even though these companies attracted workers by hordes, they also suffered high attrition rates. This fact may be attributed to the peculiar working schedules in these companies. Almost all call center companies operate 24/7 which means that some employees will be assigned to work from 10 o’ clock in the evening up to 6 o’ clock in the morning. This is necessary because they need to approximate the working hours in western countries particularly the US where most of their client companies are located. Many call center employees cannot stand the difficulty of working in the wee hours that some of them got burned out while other got hospitalized. These are some of the hidden risks that come with working in call center companies.
I know this for a fact because just last month, my 24-year old neighbor-friend was rushed to the hospital because she suffered a mild stroke while working at 2:30 in the morning. She was assigned in the 10pm-6am shift for 3 and a half months straight prior to the incident. Luckily, my friend was able to recover but the doctor strongly advised her not to work in evening shifts anymore. But how could she possibly do that? She could only heed that advice if either the company allows her to change shifts or find another job. The second option is next to impossible at this point in time when finding a decent job may be likened to finding a needle in a haystack.
Raymond Roque
06-78143
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