Manila court to FB, YouTube: Disclose info on ‘Usapang Diskarte’ account

Online child predators. INQUIRER.net STOCK IMAGE

MANILA, Philippines –Facebook and YouTube have been ordered by the Manila Regional Trial Court to hand over subscriber information, chat logs, photos, and other digital evidence relating to the “Usapang Diskarte” case.

The “Usapang Diskarte” account is notorious for inciting child sex abuse and exploitation through social media platforms. There are suggestions in the story for how an older guy might entice a minor to engage in sexual activity with him. It has a dedicated following of over a quarter of a million people.

In July, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to find the people behind the “Usapang Diskarte” accounts.

READ: Hontiveros asks NBI, PNP to go after people promoting child abuse online 

The July 20 and 28 warrants issued by the Manila court require the two platforms to preserve data of the accounts linked to the page’ Usapang Diskarte’, which would 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.

On Tuesday, the warrants were endorsed to the Department of Justice’s Office on Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC).

“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.

DOJ-OOC State Counsel Gerald Vincent Sosa said Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms have been very compliant regarding such cases.

“Priority case din ito ng Facebook and yung mga social media platforms [This a priority case of Facebook and the other social media platforms],” Sosa said.

The DOJ-OOC acts as the central authority on all matters relating to international cooperation and extradition pertaining to cybercrime and cyber-related offenses.

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