Police scour online spaces for threats targeting minors

National

FROM private chats to gaming communities, police are widening their watch online as they seek to detect threats and recruitment efforts targeting minors before they spill into real-world violence.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has ordered its anti-cybercrime unit to monitor online communities, threats, recruitment efforts, calls for violence, games and other digital platforms where minors could be exposed to excessive violence or encouraged to engage in dangerous activities.

Police said the operation will not target legitimate online gaming or ordinary technology use by young people, but the misuse of digital platforms to manipulate or recruit minors, following the school shootings reported in Tacloban, Zamboanga and South Cotabato over the past three months.

The NCRPO urged parents, guardians and teachers to monitor children’s online activities, including private chats, gaming communities and social media groups.

“Know what your children are watching, who they are communicating with and what online

communities they are joining,” NCRPO officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano said in a Philstar report.

Abrahano said the initiative is aimed at prevention, with police seeking to identify threats before they develop into real-world violence. The NCRPO also urged the public not to circulate videos, photos, threats or other sensitive material related to violent incidents.

Police will coordinate with the Department of Education, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), schools, parents and other agencies to address online exploitation and other cyber-enabled threats.

The CICC has given online forum Reddit and messaging platform Discord 24 hours to designate representatives and establish a physical presence in the Philippines, warning of a possible nationwide ban for noncompliance.

The agency said it wants the platforms to be reachable and accountable when activities on their services put Filipino children and communities at risk. It also called for Reddit and Discord to join an inter-agency framework against networks involved in creating, soliciting, distributing and monetizing online child abuse materials.

The CICC asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate high-level meetings with Reddit, Discord, Meta and other social media networks to strengthen cooperation.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said it is open to a bill requiring social media firms to secure congressional franchises and comply with Philippine laws.

Rep. David Suarez filed House Bill 4786, which would classify online social networks as public services subject to regulation by the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission.

“That (bill) is being discussed and that is what the Department of Information and Communications Technology proposes, so that as much as possible, we can have jurisdiction and authority over these social media platforms. So that is a good proposal,” Palace press officer Claire Castro was quoted in the same article.

Castro also rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the Marcos administration was to blame for the school shootings.(MyTVCebu)