Expert: RP still lacks cybercrime laws
By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 08:23:00 10/10/2008
Filed Under: Government, Internet, Technology (general)
MAKATI City, Philippines -- A Filipino digital forensics expert said the Philippines is still far from able to handle many digital crimes.
The country also lacks the necessary laws to protect itself from Internet attacks.
Speaking during the Computerworld Executive Briefings on Cybersecurity, digital forensics expert Alex Ramos said there are attacks that go unreported.
Many victims are companies who are apprehensive to convey such attacks to government agencies to avoid instigating panic among their clients and customers.
Ramos also noted that some are familiar with the laws governing digital attacks but are doubtful if these would apply to them when they are attacked. Even the existing Internet law, Republic Act 8792 or the E-Commerce Act, is insufficient to cover many instances of cybercrime, he added.
He said that the government has to fast track laws or regulations protecting companies against digital crime, especially as the country's status as a business process outsourcing hub is becoming more prominent.
The Department of Justice and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology along with private sector groups have been working on a long-overdue draft cybercrime bill.
"The government must give it a careful understanding and research, simply because we are a fast-growing industry in terms of outsourcing and yet the safety nets are not there. We have to guarantee that we are a safe haven against attacks," Ramos said.
Ramos warned that as companies lose money to various methods of digital attacks, be it through malware, identity theft, and hacking, the government also loses money because of lower earnings from victims.
Ramos is a former digital forensics expert who has worked for the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
He said the two enforcement agencies have yet to strengthen its digital forensics capabilities especially as more local and multinational companies continue relying on computers and the Internet to transact.
Young generation of computer and Internet users also have to develop responsibility and not to contribute to fear of an ever-increasing community of cyber criminals.
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