A woman has been indicted for computer fraud in the first such case under the Philippines' controversial cybercrime law, justice department records showed Sunday.
Karla Martinez Ignacio could face up to six years in jail if found guilty of transferring thousands of dollars to her bank account using fraudulent computer data. She was indicted by a prosecutor in the city of Las Pinas, outside Manila, and is set to be charged under the Philippines' Cybercrime Prevention Act.
The law is designed to stamp out online scourges like fraud, identity theft and child pornography, but critics say it could be used to stifle dissent as it imposes heavy prison terms for online libel.