Aquino backs online libel

In supporting a recent Supreme Court decision, President Benigno Aquino III said he does not think the goal of criminalizing online libel is to suppress freedom of expression. On February 19, the SC upheld as constitutional most provisions of the Cybercrime Law, including the hotly-debated issue of online libel subject to one condition: it only applies to the original author and not netizens who share or react to a defamatory post. Aquino said it does not make sense to exempt the Internet from libel just because it is a different medium. He said: “Let me repeat: if what you said is true, then why would you be unnerved by the issue of libel?” Critics say the ruling is a huge step back for freedom of expression.

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