At PNP request, Pornhub deletes Filipino students’ videos

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin, Philippines — Pornhub, a Canadian pornography streaming website, has deleted from its servers self-made sex videos of two senior high school students from a private school in Cagayan de Oro at the request of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group in Northern Mindanao (ACG 10).

Staff Sgt. Ritchel Tesoro, ACG 10 investigator, said the police forwarded the request to Pornhub after the father of the girl, a 17-year-old senior high school student, came to the ACG 10 office on Thursday, June 20, asking for help.

Earlier, the student’s father had filed a complaint at the National Bureau of Investigation in Northern Mindanao (NBI 10) against the girl’s ex-boyfriend for video voyeurism and violations of anti-child pornography law and laws on violence against women.

Tesoro said the girl’s father had sought help from the NBI before going to the police.

“The NBI 10 asked for our technical assistance to have the videos deleted from the website,” Tesoro said in a phone interview.

Tesoro said it was the NBI 10 that started the investigation, which zeroed in on the victim’s 16-year-old ex-boyfriend, who was allegedly responsible for taking the videos and for uploading them on the internet.

The girl and her boyfriend were reported to be students of the senior high school department in a private university in Cagayan de Oro City.

Those who saw the videos were able to tell the school because of the uniform the girl was wearing.

Tesoro said the videos might have been taken some weeks back as those involved in the video had already ended their relationship, according to the girl’s father.

Despite the confirmation from the girl’s father that it was her daughter in the videos, the police were still doing some verification from the girl herself, Tesoro said.

Tesoro said the one responsible for taking the videos and uploading them on the internet could face several charges, including violation of Republic Act No. 9995 for video voyeurism, Republic Act No. 9795 for child pornography, and Republic Act No. 9262 for violence against women.

Even those who possessed, shared, or caused the distribution of the videos could also be held liable, she added.

ACG 10 posted an advisory on social media warning the public against spreading the pornographic videos or they would be liable under the law.

Citing Section 4 of the Anti-Child Pornography Act (RA 9775), ACG 10 said it would be unlawful to “publish offer, transmit, sell, distribute, broadcast, advertise, promote, export or import any form of child pornography” or even to access or possess it.

(Editor: Alexander T. Magno)