There is a need for a law that will regulate cyber crimes but a line must be drawn in order not to suppress freedom of speech, Undersecretary Ibarra Gutierrez III of the Office of Political Affairs, said yesterday.

Gutierrez who was in Bacolod City for a public forum on the Freedom of Information Bill, said the Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is important because it regulates activities on the internet and it is a law against identity theft, child pornography, and hacking.

However, certain provisions of the law have to be repealed because it curtails people from speaking freely about matters of public interest within the cyberspace, he said.

Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello has filed House Bill 6630 that seeks to amend specific provisions of the law, which suppress free speech on the internet, he said.

Gutierrez, an Akbayan official, added that the bill also seeks to repeal the provision expanding the application of the Revised Penal Code into the internet, adding that many of its provisions belong to the Spanish era.

The Department of Justice should also not be given unilateral power to shut down websites and law enforcement agencies should not be given authority to monitor traffic data without a search warrant or court order, he also said.*LTG

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