PNP issues ‘cyber warrants’ vs FB, YouTube accounts for allegedly promoting sexual abuse of children

The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has issued warrants to disclose computer data (WCDC) ordering social media company Facebook and video sharing platform YouTube to disclose information and other content posted on a page allegedly promoting sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Based on the search warrants issued on July 20 and July 28, a cybercrime court in Manila ordered the two platforms to preserve information about the accounts connected to the page “Usapang Diskarte” so that it could be used as evidence by the ACG’s Women and Children Cybercrime Protection Unit (WCCPU) in the filing of a case against the page’s operator.

In accordance with the Supreme Court’s regulation on cybercrime warrants, the warrants have already been endorsed by the court and given to the Department of Justice’s Office on Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) for implementation.

“After we forward this, we will wait for the data to be transmitted to us. This can include thousands of images, information on the account owner as well as their subscribers, chat logs, and other information. We expect this investigation to be heavy,” said Lt. Col. Irene Cena, WCCPU head, in a statement.

There is supposedly a lot of material on the page “Usapang Diskarte” that encourages child sexual exploitation and abuse. The account is associated with a network of sexual predators and has over 250,000 subscribers and followers.

Netizens criticized the page’s offensive material and demanded that the illegal movies it had posted online be removed. The obscene material on the page included instructions on how to trick a child into having sex with an older person.

ACG director Brig. Gen. Joel Doria also urged internet users to come forward and contact the ACG office if they had any information regarding “Usapang Diskarte” or felt they had been mistreated as a result of its viral posts.

“We are here to help you. I also commend all our Cybercops and of course our personnel from WCCPU for your untiring efforts. In spite of our limited number of personnel you continue to show dedication to your duty to serve and protect,” said Doria.