If It Looks Like A Duck, Swims Like A Duck, And Quacks Like A Duck

I’ll be watching you
(Every breath you take, every move you make)
(Every bond you break, every step you take)
I’ll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say)
(Every game you play, every night you stay)
I’ll be watching you

The Police

Possible role model?

If all you read was “defended their new cyberlaws, necessary to defend against cyber attacks and nothing to do limiting freedom of expression” what comes to mind? If you are in the Philippines, from the Philippines and/or a regular GRP reader you can’t help but think of RA 10175.  That was actually an Iranian government official speaking in response to U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed.  Source CNN Radio Reports Oct 25 2012 podcast      . You can see Mr. Shaheed’s full speech for a United Nations webcast here.

Shaheed, who briefed the General Assembly’s Third Committee earlier in the day, said that among other violations, the Iranian Government “continues to detain one of the highest number of journalists around the world, with over forty still in prison.”

The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern that “new cyber crimes and cyber café laws severely limit freedom of expression and the right to information and have apparently been employed to prosecute those who use media to criticize the Government.”

Source

It should be noted that that Iran’s Cybercrime law  which already blocks Youtube utilized the so called deep packets inspection   over three years ago to monitor for government dissent. This allows the government to search for certain keywords in cyber communication and identify the senders and cut off their Internet. The same report that mentioned the deep packets technology  also talks about Internet really slowing down in Iran around the time of the election which was interpreted as a sign that data was being filtered on a huge scale. Prof. Peter Sommer Cyber Crime Expert called the potential of the deep packets technology in the hands of a despot as “very very intrusive”.

When the law was introduced back in 2009   by President Ahmadinejad it was justified by the Iranian government channel  Press TV (probably their equivalent of ABS CBN) that it  “would provide internet users with “more security”, as internet service providers are required to save all data sent and received by their clients for at least three months.”   Critics thought the law was being used for more nefarious means like keeping track of anti government sentiment. Just to show you we are not the only country on Earth whose President is less than perfect President Ahmadinejad has gone on record   saying that  homosexuals   do not exist in Iran and the Nazi slaughter of Jews never happened. You know what should scare you Philippines is if the saying “great minds think alike ” is true.

How similar is this to our local situation?? Let’s compare some quotes side by side.

• ” Iran rejected criticism from a U.N. human rights investigator over its tighter cyber security rules, saying they are necessary to protect it against cyber attacks and have nothing whatsoever to do with freedom of expression.”  Iranian Government  October 25 2012
• “We need the RA 10175 if we are to survive the challenges of a cyberspace-influenced world.”

and

• “RA 10175 doesn’t prevent you from saying what you want to say but you must never forget that there are modes of behavior that guide communications.” William Esposo  valued friend of Noynoy Aquino     defending the Philippine Government Cybercrime Act Oct 18 2012

• “New cyber crimes and cyber café laws severely limit freedom of expression and the right to information and have apparently been employed to prosecute those who use media to criticize the Government.” Ahmed Shaheed Oct 24 2012
• “… certain provisions of the law make way for ‘prior restraint,’ thereby pre-empting free online discourse.“Na-censor ka na, ‘di ka pa nakakasuhan,” JJ Disini of the UP College of Law   September 26, 2012

I love how Noynoy claims  “Now that the law is in effect, we have to enforce it. I can be impeached for dereliction of duty if I do not implement the law,” I also love how reading, comprehending and fully disclosing the contents and implications of the new law do not seem to fall under his definition of “dereliction of duty”.  Makes one wonder why it was so hastily put together and should it have been past in the first place. One way this law would have never been signed by Noynoy if someone inserted a provision in the bill banning all Filipinos from playing Call of Duty online on PS3 and Xbox 360 , Noynoy never would have signed it, case closed go back to blogging nothing to see here.

Based on similar justifications, criticisms and fears I look at the Iranian Cybercrime Law and think to myself there is another thing Senator Sotto plagiarized.

Gogs

Putting a very sharp needle into the balloon known as Pinoy Pride since 2012.