GEARING UP AGAINST CYBERCRIME

GEARING UP AGAINST CYBERCRIME The bad news is, incidents of cybercrime are increasing, and the cybercriminals are seemingly getting bolder and smarter. The good news is, the government is very serious about combatting cybercrime, and it now has the right organizations to do it, coupled with the right laws to back them up. Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is a newly established government agency that has its own charter, but is attached to the DICT. The CICC lists the DICT, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as its “affiliated” agencies, and the PNP and NBI as its law enforcement agencies. Perhaps it is just a billing issue, but technically, the CICC is attached to the DICT, therefore it is not simply an “affiliate”, so to speak. It is clear that in this pecking order, the DICT is “primus inter pares” simply because it is a cabinet level department, and in fact, both the NPC and the NTC are attached to it. While the CICC appears to have its own law enforcement powers, both the PNP and the NBI also have their own powers. As a matter of fact, both of these agencies also have their own anti-cybercrime groups. While its good to have an apparent duplication of functions, it is also better if these are well coordinated. By the way, the DOJ also has its own anti-cybercrime group, but only for purposes of international coordination. IKE SENERES/04-09-2024