POLICE ARREST EX-VP CANDIDATE WALDEN BELLO FOR CYBER LIBEL Former vice presidential candidate and Laban ng Masa chairperson Walden Bello was arrested for two counts of cyber libel by the police on Monday, August 8. Bello’s arrest was confirmed by his executive secretary and Laban ng Masa spokesperson Leomar Doctolero. Read more…
GenderScoop is a monthly digest on gender & ICT in the Philippines July 2022: Soaring Numbers of OGBV, Policy Development in Gender and ICT, Liability of Internet Intermediaries in the Protection of Women’s Rights and Automation and Digitization Efforts to Bridge Gender Digital Divide What we gather this month: Instances Read more…
The internet is one of the most powerful and enabling platforms for opportunity, sharing ideas and building community, but women and other vulnerable groups are too often threatened, silenced and censored because of having courage to speak out. Since 2012, the Foundation for Media Alternatives has been monitoring and documenting Read more…
SC: PHOTOS, MESSAGES FROM FB MESSENGER ADMISSIBLE AS EVIDENCE The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that photos and messages obtained by private individuals from a Facebook messenger account are admissible as evidence in court. The ruling was based on a 31-page decision by Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez after the conviction Read more…
In the Philippines, there is no legislation on hate speech, although it has laws on libel and defamation. Recently though, a bill emanating from the Lower House was filed that aims to define, prohibit and penalize hate speech in the country. The bill was filed by Muslim representatives in congress as a result of the violent incidents that occurred in Christ-church and El Paso that killed individuals due to racist and anti-immigration sentiments.
STARLINK SET TO DELIVER BREAKTHROUGH INTERNET SERVICES TO PH SOON The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) speedily approved SpaceX-Starlink’s requirements that will allow the country to enjoy breakthrough internet services through the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network constellation consisting of over 1,600 satellites. Starlink promises to deliver Read more…
GenderScoop is a monthly digest on gender & ICT in the Philippines May 2022 scoop: Reaching for inclusivity, leveraging platforms for empowerment and fight vs. disinformation What we gather this month: Manifestations of gender-based violence (OGBV) offline and online. Reports of various forms of gender-based violence continued. How responsive are laws in the Read more…
INT’L OBSERVERS: MAY 9 PH VOTE FALLS SHORT OF FREE, FAIR ELECTION STANDARDS The election was “not free and fair”. Séverine De Laveleye, a Belgian parliamentarian, said this as she presented the interim report of the International Observer Mission (IOM) on the May 9 elections. The IOM, which was launched Read more…
DUTERTE VETOES SIM REGISTRATION BILL DUE TO MANDATORY REGISTRATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS Pres. Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed the proposed Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act, Malacañang said on April 15. The provision ordering the mandatory registration of social media accounts prompted Duterte to veto the measure, acting presidential Read more…
COMELEC FORMS TASK FORCE TO GO AFTER PEDDLERS OF FALSE INFO VS POLL BODY The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc approved the creation of a task force that seeks to crack down on individuals and entities propagating election-related disinformation – specifically against the poll body. Commissioner George Garcia said Read more…