Republic Act 10175 Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

Its primary function was to penalize activities in the country such as cybersex, child pornography, identity theft and unsolicited electronic correspondence. However, different groups opposed a clause extending the application of the libel law that included Internet posts, urging the Supreme Court to impose a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a status quo ante order. The cybercrime legislation could see Internet users sentenced to up to 12 years in jail for making on Facebook or Twitter defamatory remarks. Online libel was not part of the initial bill introduced by the Department of Justice (DOJ), but as proposed by Sen. Vicente Sotto III, was one of the amendments inserted by the Senate. It punishes content-related crimes that can be committed through a computer device, such as cybersex, child pornography and libel. It also penalizes commercial contact or material that is unsolicited and that advertises or offers goods or services. However there are exemptions relati...