Bl(o/a)cked
by
, 10-28-2012 at 09:23 PM (1475 Views)
"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
This was what Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States of America, was often quoted saying when a member of his war contracts investigating committee [sic] objects to his strenuous pace. He was well-known as a plain speaker, something that most politicians in our more media-sensitive age lacks.
With the onset of the social media, the third evolving type of media (apart from the print, and radio and broadcast media), the people have a more digital and real-time avenue for the expression of ideas that way before would have taken years to see print. With one click, people purpose awareness, hatred, contempt and fulfillment towards the readers. Sadly though this same form of media has been downright abused. Because of the ease of uploading and hacking, people have deemed it a leisure to defame other people through the social media networks. I myself have fallen victim to this. My previous Facebook account had been hacked, with the hacker trying to collect a hefty amount from my contacts on the premise that I have been stranded somewhere and have been a survivor of a false-recruitment scam (God forbid). Still naive to that modus operandi, I was lucky enough to have had a contact who responded to the hacker with a rather sarcastic tone fit to overthrow any king from a far off kingdom. Eventually, I had to report the breach of that account and had it closed, to my chagrin of creating a new one and building photo albums (including downloading older pictures from my previous account).
This among others is the premise of RA 10175 otherwise known as the Anti-Cybercrime Law. Well, there have been other reasons, foremost among them was the case of Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho with his sexual voyeurism. Our solons from the Congress have come up with such a law to protect the rights of women and children. There is nothing really wrong with the law except that the somewhat alleged "insertion" (after he was infamously being cyberbullied) on the provision regarding the online libel that Sen. Tito Sotto had suggested the legal body was vague, . Add to that the implementation of the sad Act without implementing rules and regulations.
When I came to Journalism class two weeks ago, I was surprised by what a student shared that he fears he could no longer download music or share pictures and worse, comment on them because he might get imprisoned for twelve years. So I went into the rather spiral explanation of what I understood to be the provisions of the said act. He further asked what the blocked comments and blacked profile pictures represent. I told him the netizens are on a protest for the uncalled for curtailment of the freedom of speech and expression. In the Revised Penal Code, a libel case would normally have a sanction of imprisonment for 3 years but under the RA 10175, online libel convicts may suffer twelve years imprisonment.
As alleged, Senator Tito Sotto, after having been "cyberbullied" in August, was said to have "inserted" the online libel provision. If it were true, he shouldn't have taken the bullying seriously. Besides, even when politicians were highly esteemed for their positions, they are by no means impermeable to public opinion (whether good or bad). That provision is too much. When one is no longer allowed to express one's ideas and thoughts, it would be equated to a dismembering of one of the vital parts of one's system.
I am a bit relieved that a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) has been recently passed pending review of the said act. I would not have reservations to post a blog like this.
And lastly, to tell our highly esteemed Senator Tito Sotto, that if he's already fed up with the demeaning words thrown at him, "He might as well get out of the kitchen."