14 DAY TRIAL // Anonymous hackers have once again targeted several websites of the Philippines government. The hacktivists are protesting against a provision of the Cybercrime Prevention Act that violates freedom of speech.
The list of hacked websites includes the ones of the Office of the Vice President, the PNP Command Center, the National Telecommunications Commission, the Pilipinas Anti Piracy Team, the DOST Information Network, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Philippine Embassy in Rome, Italy.
The sites of various cities and municipalities have also been attacked.
Some of the websites have been defaced. In other cases, the sites’ visitors have been redirected to a third-party domain hosting the defacement page.
In a message posted on the targeted sites, the hackers highlight the fact that, in 1987, President Corazon Aquino passed a bill that gave people freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
However, the online libel provision of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, according to the hacktivists, “kills the right of the people to freely express their opinion and freedom of speech through the internet.”
“We, the citizens of the internet, fight again for this right and for this freedom. We fight not only for ourselves but also for others who stand with us against the Cyber Crime Law — bloggers, gamers or ordinary internet users,” the hackers stated.
“This is our way to express and oppose the bill that may destroy the future of the internet in the Philippines. We believe that together we shall achieve the goal and the purpose of this cause. We shall stand and fight for the Filipino Netizens' right to freedom of speech and expression,” they added.
At the time of writing, a few of the attacked government websites have been restored. However, most of them have either been taken offline or they’re still defaced.
The attack on government websites comes after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that the online libel provision in the Cybercrime Prevention Act was constitutional.
Last week, four senators called for the decriminalization of libel, PhilStar reported. Currently, those found guilty of libel face between 6 months and 4 years in prison. The Senate Bill No. 2128 filed by Senator Teofisto Guingona III aims at removing imprisonment.
“This bill proposes to remove imprisonment as a penalty for libel because the threat of jail time sends a sufficient chilling effect on the freedom of expression,” the senator said, cited by PhilStar.
Anonymous started protesting against the Cybercrime Prevention Act back in October 2012, shortly after the law was introduced. Since then, numerous attacks have been launched by the hacktivists.