photo: PNP-ACG
The Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-ACG) has joined forces with the popular short form video hosting social media platform TikTok to strengthen the campaign against scammers and other cybercriminals.
PNP-ACG spokesperson Lt. Warren Mae Arancillo said it was the management of Tiktok which requested for the collaboration against cybercriminals since the social media platform is now being used for online selling of commodities.
“They are now hosting buy and sell. So we accept the collaboration request of TikTok to strengthen cybercrime investigation to expedite any action against those who would be victimized using their platform,” said Arancillo.
Unlike before that the ACG has to write a letter requesting for a probe, the collaboration now paved the way for the designation of a point person of the PNP to the TikTok in order to expedite the investigation process.
The same partnership, according to Arancillo, led to an offer of training programs for ACG personnel: “TikTok is committed to provide training to the ACG personnel for us to understand the processes to expedite the investigation.”
photo: PNP-ACG
Meanwhile, the focus of the collaboration is on various scams that may be committed using the TikTok platform relating to online selling.
“Also, another concern of Tiktok is on the women and children cybercrime protection unit of the ACG and they also want to collaborate to prevent exploitation of children using the videos in their platform,” said Arancillo.
The meeting between ACG and TikTok leadership occurred on Dec. 18 at Camp Crame in Quezon City and ACG officer-in-charge Col. Rommel Batangan said it focused on addressing strategic issues and operational concerns related to social media platforms.
"TikTok is one of the most widely used social media platforms today. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have also exploited this platform for scamming activities. So we will also explore collaborative opportunities to effectively tackle these challenges,” said Batangan.
“This collaboration with TikTok will significantly enhance and expedite our cybercrime investigation efforts, reinforcing our commitment to creating a safer and more secure cyberspace for everyone,” he added.
For her part, Ms. Elisabeth Potuijt, TikTok Law Enforcement Outreach Manager - Southeast Asia, said they are willing to support the PNP-ACG by offering training sessions for its investigation teams.
“We aim for our law enforcement partners to have a clear understanding of our operating procedures and legal requirements, and proactively engage with us to raise issues, concerns or emerging threats that could impact user or community safety on our platform,” she said.