Fb, YouTube to preserve data on ‘Usapang Diskarte’ viral for online pedophilia
By Nidz Godino
“The accounts’ content shared tips on how to lure minor to have sex with an older man…minors are conditioned into thinking that having sex with an older man is normal,” a Manila court granted cybercrime units of the Philippine National Police plea for two warrants to disclose computer data ordering social media giants Facebook and YouTube to release subscriber information, chats, images, and other content posted on social media on the accounts of “Usapang Diskarte.”
In a statement, the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group and Women and Children Cybercrime Protection Unit requested Facebook and YouTube to preserve data of accounts to avoid losing needed information necessary for filing of case against uploader. The request was granted on July 20 and 28, respectively.
Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 24 in its warrant said there is probable cause to believe that violation of Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 had been committed by the account, particularly provisions in the law outlawing child pornography. “After we forward this, we will wait for 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,” Police Lt. Col. Irene Cena, chief of the WCCPU said.
To recall, ‘Usapang Diskarte’ went viral in July after it was exposed publishing content promoting sexual abuse and exploitation of children, including tips on grooming and luring minors into committing sexual acts.
Before it was taken down, the account had more than 250,000 subscribers that PNP claimed were “connected to a group of sexual predators who equates ‘macho’ with being abusive.”
The ACG has already endorsed cyber-warrants to the Department of Justice Office on Cybercrime for implementation.
Meanwhile,ACG also filed complaints against foreign social media influencer and four other vloggers at the Hall of Justice in Quezon City.
In a statement, Police Brig. Gen. Joel Doria, acting director of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group said unit’s cyber patrolling found Facebook and TikTok videos of vloggers tearing banknotes in half and asking random passersby for help as part of what they claimed was social experiment.
“Let this serve as a warning to all media influencers or vloggers to be mindful of content that you post in social media…having numerous followers and viewers does not guarantee that you are free to violate any laws of the land,” Doria said.
To recall, on August 12, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas requested technical assistance of ACG to monitor the activities of the social media accounts of the suspects:
Per reports, Arnold Rogero was seen stapling several banknotes as part of basketball fun-shoot game.
Quion recorded himself poking a hole into a one-thousand-peso bill as part of a magic trick, while Eramel posted Facebook and Tiktok videos of himself using five-hundred-peso bill to wipe off dirt from his shoes and crumpling each bill and throwing it on the street’s pavement.
One Joel Espinosa Mallanao, known online by his reported username “qyuarfheerzzchyam” was also filmed defacing a fifty-peso-bill legal tender and using it as a funnel to transfer petroleum products, the PNP-ACG said in its report.
According to the PNP-ACG, the suspects will be facing charges for violations of Defacement, Mutilation, Tearing, Burning or destruction of Central Bank Notes and Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances.
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