The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Friday vowed to go after online sexual abuse of children using its “powerful” state-of-the-art technology that could help probers identify and arrest perpetrators.
At a media briefing, CICC executive director Cezar Mancao II introduced the agency’s Digital Forensics Platform and Laboratory (DFPAL), saying “it is an important tool of the government’s fight against the rising cybercrimes, especially online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).”
DFPAL would allow CICC to monitor and coordinate with the other law enforcement agencies in the conduct of thorough digital and forensic investigations, and assist authorities to prosecute cybercriminals, he said.
Asked if there was a duplication of functions with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police, Mancao said “under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, we (CICC) are mandated to lead government’s efforts to safeguard our citizens, our country and our national sovereignty against threats and risks of cybercrime.”
He said DFPAL was established and operationalized to conduct relentless and coordinated efforts to prevent, disrupt and “possibly” stop if not mitigate the issues of OSAEC via a collaborative partnership of local and international stakeholders in a bid to provide a “cybersafe environment for children.”
“We have acquired a powerful state-of-the-art technology, which will improve the success rate of investigators and policing operations in the ongoing pursuit to identify, apprehend and convict individuals and networks associated with online sexual exploitation,” he said.
He said they have tapped trained and certified professionals from various fields of information and communications technology, psychology, digital forensics, data analytics, research and communications to operate DFPAL efficiently and effectively.
He lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the problem of cyber sexual abuse on children, such as child pornography, usually being perpetrated by low-income families.
“Such crime is borderless,” he noted.
“The opening of the new facility will provide law enforcement agencies with updated data and intelligence that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of these predators,” he stressed.
Mancao disclosed that CICC will soon launch its e-Scam program “in a week or in a few days” to unmask online scammers.
CICC deputy executive director James Layug said “we are trying to address other forms of cybercrime. Scam is second to online sexual abuse.”
“The strength of the criminals is anonymity, while the government’s strength is attribution. Scam proliferates,” he said.