Senator Vicente Sotto III inserted the libel clause in the Philippine Cybercrime Law. I knew it. When I read the RA that clause bothered me. I kept wondering why it was even there. Why lump “cyber-libel” with child porn? This post by Raissa Robles is a must-read.
What makes the libel rider interesting is that it is SUCH a clumsy cut-and-paste job, without any attempt to take into account the nature of the Internet.
No congressional public hearing was ever held on libel in the Internet.
This section on libel has grave implications for freedom of speech on the Internet. People who post on Facebook, Twitter and write comments in news websites can be sued for libel in much more insidious ways than those in the traditional news media.
Reactions and write-ups from:
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Image from Creative Manila.
