‘Cybercrime law vital to country’s national security’

Defense and military officials see Republic Act 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, as a weapon to protect key government and private infrastructure from cyber attacks.

Various defense, military and civilian cyber security experts attended yesterday a forum, “The Cybercrime Law and its Implications to National Security,” at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) at Camp Aguinaldo.

Fermin de Leon, NDCP president, said the fundamental level of national security involves human security.

This includes the basic freedoms and basic rights that would fall under the United Nations definition of human security, he added.

De Leon said the cybercrime law intends to protect the rights of the people and give maximum utility of the advantages of science and technology.

“We have to protect the people’s rights, the basic freedoms while at the same time making full use of the advantages of technology,” he said.

“This cuts across political security, technology-science, socio-cultural and of course human security. We have to balance the advantages of what we can derive from technology and science at the same time protecting the rights of our people. It’s a balancing act.

“Let’s give it a chance to evolve with greater stakeholders’ participation. That’s democracy working.”

Nebuchadnezzar Alejandrino, Department of National Defense information management office chief, said the country must be prepared to secure its fifth domain, cyberspace.

“No modern army can defeat it (cyber attack),” he said.

A proposal was made during the forum for the creation of a new Armed Forces unit to be known AFP Cyber Command.

A senior military officer said for the past three years they have been putting up electronic infrastructure to protect the country from cyber attacks.

Based in a military camp, the electronic infrastructure are patterned after the US military’s Cyber Command structures, though it is still in its infantile stage, he added.

Angel Redoble, ARMCI Solutions and Consultancy Inc. president and chief executive officer, said cyber security is a different issue. “It’s protecting cyberspace,” he said. Redoble said the cybercrime law is just a starter for a much bigger and wider cyber security to protect cyber users and cyberspace.

“Imagine having a company or a house,” he said.

“In our house we protect whatever is inside. Lock gates, windows, but when we go out who will protect us? That is now the cyberspace. For example, the business process outsourcings (BPOs). They are very heavy on telecoms voice and data.”

BPOs may be secured, but if the telecommunication companies providing voice is not secured, their operations will be compromised, he added.

Redoble said cyber security is a key component in modern warfare, as what the Russians did when they first crippled key infrastructure of Georgia with a push of a button before launching the physical attack.

“What would be the role of the AFP be if this happens?” he said.

Without the cybercrime law, the country is highly vulnerable to cyber attacks, he added.

Redoble said since three years ago he had been talking about cyber warfare.

It is happening now, he added, referring to the hacking of key sites of government agencies.

Political analyst Clarita Carlos, a former NDCP president, also endorsed RA 10175.

Rep. Sigfrido Tinga, one of the authors of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, said the country is way behind when it comes to cyber security.

Meanwhile, a child welfare group will organize a sports fest of Filipino street games as part of their protest against the Cybercrime Prevention Law.

Organized by child welfare group Akap Bata, the Palarong Pinoy para sa Batang Pilipino aims to encourage more online gamers, computer shop owners, parents and children to participate in the “No Video Games Day” protest against the contentious new law.

The sports fest will be held at the Quezon Memorial Circle from 8 a.m. to noon today.