By Czarina Nicole Ong Ki The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has issued a warning against online fraudsters in the wake of the proliferation of dummy Facebook accounts made over the weekend, stressing that computer-related identity theft is a punishable act under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. CHR Spokesperson Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia said that the guarantee of privacy applies both offline and online. The said law, she explained, further underscores the idea of privacy as a fundamental human right, wherein individuals can assert against unwanted interferences in their lives as a matter of protecting one’s identity and human dignity. Sadly, the dummy accounts created from original Facebook profiles over the weekend infringed on the rights of numerous journalists, students, and ordinary citizens. Some of the dummy accounts were empty, while others contained pictures and a couple of added friends. Thankfully, de Guia said that some of those accounts have already been taken down thanks to the aggressive reporting of concerned Facebook users. The CHR is taking to heart the statement made by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that it will investigate the matter and closely coordinate with the National Privacy Commission and Facebook Philippines in order to prevent the same issue from happening again. The NBI initially attributed these dummy accounts to a possible “glitch.” “In the face of fears toward laws and policies that may affect our human rights, we call on the government to investigate these cases seriously and take active steps in determining the cause of the creation of dummy accounts, including allegations of threats coming from these duplicate profiles,” said de Guia. She added that Facebook has a responsibility as well to protect human rights, given its wide scope. De Guia said Facebook’s platform has the power to impact domestic exchanges and processes, such as wide-ranging social and political issues. “Technology continues to shape the way we interact with each other and the world. We call for continued vigilance against any means meant to repress our rights and freedoms even in the digital sphere,” she said.