Media and Information Literacy: SLeM computers and the internet in the virtual
(Supplemental Learning Modules) computer world.
Cyber - relating to, or involving
LESSON: LEGAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIETAL
computers or computer networks (such
ISSUES IN MEDIA and INFORMATION
as the internet)
Most Essential Learning Competency:
PRE-TEST:
Cite practical situation when to apply
knowledge in intellectual property, 1.________It is a legal device that gives the
copyright, and fair use guidelines. creator of a literary, artistic, musical, or other
creative works the exclusive right to publish,
Objectives: reproduce, and sell their work and receive
At the end of the lesson, learners are expected payment for that reproduction.
2.________This legal device allows
to:
authors/creators to seek legal action in case of
1. Describe the different activities of legal and
copyright infringement and plagiarism.
ethical issues in Media and Information. 3._________ Besides the DTI or the Department
2. Describe the roles of Media in society. of Trade and Industry, what government agency
3. Identify actions to manage legal and ethical monitors food and drug manufacturing and
issues in the media; and selling in the Philippines?
4. Identify examples according to Media issues 4.______ It is also known as R.A. 10173; a law
that seeks to protect all forms of information -
private, personal, or sensitive.
Recall: 5._______ A non-human entity; an organization
that is not a single natural person but is
Media has three (3) types: the PRINT,
authorized by law with duties and rights and is
BROADCAST, and the NEW MEDIA (the recognized as a legal person and as having a
INTERNET). These three are tools for mass distinct identity.
communication and that is to transfer or send 6._______ A legal concept that allows the
information to an audience for mass informing or reproduction of copyrighted materials without
notifying- these three have the technologies to obtaining permission and without paying a fee
reach wider audience and uses codes and for certain purposes such as news reporting,
conventions in their media languages (visual, review, teaching, or scholarly research.
aural, written, verbal, and non-verbal) 7._______ a legal agreement between two
parties to protect confidentiality of materials,
These different types of media use different secrets of production, knowledge, or patented
kinds of media languages; for example, TV uses information.
visual, aural, written, verbal, and non-verbal 8._______ The use of electronic communication
languages. Print media like newspaper or means to send intimidating, offensive, insulting,
magazines utilize only visual and written, while or threatening messages to a person.
radio uses aural and verbal.
9._______also known as RA 9995.
People have learned to read or interpret the
codes and conventions used by these media 10_______A type of computer fraud that preys
outlets to get the meanings behind the on people’s weaknesses; ex “ILOVEYOU” virus
messages. and the “You won 500,000 from our foundation”
scam.
Unlocking Difficulties:
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 -
Officially recorded as Republic Act No.
10175.
Cybercrime - Defined as criminal
activities carried out through the use of
DISCUSSION: But to protect future endeavours, copyright is
applied only to the application of an idea not the
CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT OF 2012 idea itself. For instance, a bike manufacturer can
Officially recorded as Republic Act No. build a bike with shocks (idea) for comfort and
10175; A Philippine law approved on September convenience but they cannot copy a patented
12, 2012 which aims to address legal issues shock design (applied idea).
concerning online interactions and the internet in Trademarks are registered at Bureau of
the Philippines. Trademarks at the Intellectual Property Office of
Among the cybercrimes included in the bill: the Philippines (IPOPHIL)
• Cybersquatting 2. HEALTH AND SAFETY
• Cybersex
• Child pornography The unauthorized distribution and selling of
• Identity theft unlicensed, untested, and unapproved drugs,
• Illegal access to data (hacking) supplements, and other consumables is a crime.
• Online Libel Philippine authorities and the DTI crackdown
• Spamming these illegal activities.
Every day, the media faces impacting decisions Some of these practices are proliferating via
pertaining to legal considerations; for instance, a online selling. For example: Some untested
media report that may associate a wrong commodities like beauty, skin, and hair products
person, property, or company to an untoward have resulted to severe irritations resulting from
incident, songs that sounds almost identical, the inclusion of questionable components in the
music used as commercial jingles without the product. In the Philippines, the DTI (Department
artist’s knowledge, parts of a book published of Trade and Industry) and FDA (Food and Drug
without the author’s permission, a photo from the Administration) are tasked to monitor these
internet then passed as own work to join a illegal actions.
contest, all of these could result to a costly DATA PRIVACY ACT of the Phils.
lawsuit.
Otherwise known as R.A. 10173
Another point are the issues of discrimination in
terms of race, gender, age, disability when it A law that seeks to protect all forms of
comes to recruitment and workplace, it is also a information, be it private, personal, or sensitive.
very timely legal issue today. It is meant to cover both natural and juridical
persons involved in the processing of personal
LEGAL ISSUES in the Media Industry: information.
1. COPYRIGHT • JURIDICAL – Is a non-human entity; an
organization that is not a single natural
Copyright is a legal device that gives the creator
person but is authorized by the law with
of a literary, artistic, musical, or other creative
duties and rights and is recognized as a
works the EXCLUSIVE RIGHT to publish,
legal person and as having a distinct
reproduce, sell that work and receive payment
identity.
for that reproduction. Copyright gives the author
specific rights in relation to the work, prohibits 3. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
unauthorized actions, and allows the author to
take legal actions against instances of It is an act where people should be treated as an
infringement and plagiarism. equal and not be looked down upon due to their
age, race, sex, religion, ethnicity, and disability.
Copyright is a big issue in the media industry; This law took effect in August 2011. This new
the law clearly stipulates that original materials Act replaced the 1995 Equal Opportunity Act
cannot be used by anyone without the owner’s with some changes in the discrimination laws
permission; anyone who violates this may be and changed key definitions.
charged with copyright infringement.
4. EXCLUSIVITY AND precise language. Unfounded speculation must
CONFIDENTIALITY be avoided, therefore, claims, allegations,
opinions, and facts should always be attributed
An NDA or Non-Disclosure Agreement is a legal to its real source
contract at least two parties that outlines
confidential materials, knowledge, or information 3. Harm and offense.
that one party wishes to remain confidential.
This may also include secrets of production, Media information must apply generally
procedures, and proprietary or patented accepted standards so as to provide adequate
information. These are usually detailed in a protection to the public from the inclusion of
signed contract. Cases arise from violations of offensive and harmful materials. As a standard,
these NDA. TV programs are appropriately scheduled to
ensure unsuitable content are not viewed by
children to protect them from unsuitable content
and still maintain the balance of freedom of
expression and freedom to receive information.
Portrayal of violence, strong language, nudity,
ETHICAL ISSUES in the Media industry sex, alcohol consumption, and smoking are
Morality issues such as our concept of right and factors that affect TV and movies classification.
wrong have to be taken into consideration;
DIFFERENT HARMS AND OFFENSE IN THE
exploitation and sensationalism also needs to be
NEW MEDIA (The Internet):
taken into account. Offensive materials and
privacy invasion has taken a serious turn as the A. Cyberbullying - The use of electronic
use of social media threatens our sense of communication means to send intimidating,
morality. A lot of people value their privacy –it is offensive, insulting, or threatening messages to
a matter of choice while others tend to take a person. In connection with the Anti-Bullying
advantage of this “instant celebrity” status by Act of 2013 (RA 10627), this law finds
posting what nots in their social media accounts. applicability in school-related bullying, student-
student bullying in particular, which covers those
The problem usually stems from netizens who uttered in social media.
post pictures, and use materials without the
consent of its original owner, or targets other
people to benefit one’s popularity.
1. Representation and Ethics
Representation refers to any medium of aspect
of reality such as people, places, objects,
events, cultural identities, and other abstract
concepts.
“Bullying as defined, refers to any severe or
Ethics is the study of right and wrong. In media, repeated use by one or more students of a
ethics apply to such cases as reporters working written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a
on their stories have to make sure that their physical act or gesture, or any combination
views must be based on facts and must not be thereof, directed at another student that has the
tainted with biases. They must always gather effect of actually causing or placing the latter in
both sides of the story to create a fair-sided reasonable fear or emotional harm or damage to
report. his property; creating a hostile environment at
school…”(Sec. 2, RA 10627)
2. Accuracy
These acts are collectively called “cyber
All information, as appropriate to its subject and
bullying” when committed online. (Sec 2D, RA
nature must always be well sourced on sound
10627). This covers social bullying aiming to
evidence and thoroughly presented in a clear
belittle another individual or group or gender-
based bullying that humiliates another on the - Phishing
basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation
and gender identity. (Sec. 3, B-1, RA 10627,
Implementing Rules)
Notice that the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 (RA
10627) guarantees safety for minors/students
being bullied, Cyber Bullying, on the other hand,
is not included in the Cybercrime Prevention Act The fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive
of 2012 (RA10175), but some of its provision information such as usernames, passwords, and
may be applied to “adult” victims seeking justice. other financial data (credit card and ATM details)
by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an
electronic communication such as email
• Online Libel spoofing, IM, SMS, fake websites, fake wifi,
• Identity Theft spam, etc.
• Hacking or illegal access
- Social Engineering - An example of social
engineering technique used to deceive users by
Aside from RA 10175, RA 9995 or The anti- preying on their social “weaknesses”.
Photo and Voyeurism act of 2009 also applies. ( ex. ILOVEYOU virus)
This, if the perpetrator used intimate personal - Illegal downloads - Also known as digital
images and videos to blackmail, extort, or piracy. Refers to obtaining files from the internet
harass the victim. that one has no right to use such as movies,
music, softwares, texts, images, etc.
For minors, aside from RA 10627, or the Anti-
Bullying Act of 2013., the RA 7610 or the Special
Protection of Children Against Abuse,
Exploitation, and Discrimination can also be
used to run after perpetrators of bullying and
cyber bullying.
B. Computer fraud - The act of using a
computer to take or alter electronic data, or to
gain unlawful use of a computer or system.
-Identity theft
Types of Computer Fraud:
- Hacking
It is the practice of subverting computer security It is the deliberate use of someone else’s identity
to gain unauthorized or illegal access to a for the purpose of financial advantage or to
computer or network for malicious purposes. obtain credit, and other benefits in the other
person’s name, and perhaps to the other
person’s disadvantage, loss, and inconvenience.
-Cyber defamation owns a trademark contained within the name at
an inflated price.
Landmark cases in cybersquatting:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals v.
Doughney (2001)
Michael Doughney registered peta.org in
1995 and created a website called “People
Eating Tasty Animals”; PETA sued alleging
trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and
False statement of facts which tends to harm or
cybersquatting. Doughney was required to
tarnish the reputation of a person or a company.
surrender the domain to PETA.
• 2 types of Defamation
-Copyright infringement
– Libel – written
– Slander – verbal or spoken
-Cyber porn /cybersex / sexting / child
pornography - Pornography that is accessible
over the internet via websites, peer-to-peer, or Colloquially known as piracy; an intellectual
file sharing, etc. property rights violation.
The use of works protected by copyright laws
Cybersex –also known as internet sex, netsex,
without permission for a usage where such
or computer sex. A virtual sex encounter in
permission is required. (en.m.wikipedia.org)
which two or more people connected remotely
via the net send each other sexually explicit
-Computer addiction - The excessive use of
contents or acts.
computer to the extent that it interferes with daily
Sexting is a form of sexual encounter thru the
life. This excessive use may interfere with
exchange of sexually explicit messages,
studies, work, sleep, and would result in
photographs, or images via the use of cellular
problems with social interaction, mood,
phones.
relationships, and thought processes. Ex. of
Child pornography is a form of child sexual
addictions include: Gaming, social media,
exploitation; (RA 9775) the anti-child
gambling, and porn.
pornography act of 2009.
-Cybersquatting
-Netiquette (internet+etiquette - The correct
and acceptable way of communicating on the
internet guided by a set of social conventions
that facilitate interaction over networks.
Also known as domain squatting.
The act of registering, trafficking in, or using an
internet domain name with bad faith intent to
profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging
to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers
to sell the domain to the person or entity who
-Plagiarism - Sending computer viruses
- DoS (Denial of Service) attack
- distributing hoax emails
- engaging in data mining via spyware / malware
POST ACTIVITY / ASSIGNMENT:
Wait for your teacher to post this on your Google
classroom.
The act or instance of using or closely imitating A. During your use of social media, recall
the language and thoughts of another author other harm and offenses that you may
without authorization and the representation of have noticed, read, or experienced.
them as one’s own original work. Describe and share your experience by
posting it in your Google classroom as
part of your exercise.
-Fair use
GENERALIZATION:
As media evolves, the technology and
processes that goes with it made the information
sharing quick and yet complex. Issues became
clearer as the avenue to access these
information has become easily accessible to
A legal concept that allows the reproduction of
people from all walks of life.
copyrighted materials for certain purposes
without obtaining permission and without paying Legal, ethical, and societal issues became
a fee. Purposes permitting the application of fair apparent as a result of this change in media
use includes news reporting, review, teaching, or platform. Plagiarism and copyright check has
scholarly research. become the job of virtually everyone who uses
the social media and is familiar with other
-Virtual self people’s work. These issues have become
challenges for the media industry because it
does not only affect them but they also pose
threat to people who use and are exposed to
media.
These new problems that arose from the rise of
The persona a user creates about himself or access to technologies have become legal,
herself in the internet or the virtual world. The ethical, and societal problems in general; but
“Mardi Gras Effect” makes the person believe laws are in place to combat these malpractices.
that he’s untouchable behind the screen. People
are duped into believing that everything they see “Am I part of the solution, or the
in the internet is the real and true; the danger problem?”.”
here is some may pose as a different person,
the same with selling fake products advertised
as genuine, people in the internet may pose as
real persons but in truth are not, they use fake
names and information either to protect REFERENCES:
themselves or to harm people.
Revano Jr., Teodoro Feria, Media and
Information Literacy for Senior High School
-Other harms and offenses:
(Manila: MindShapers, Inc., 2017) Pp. 33-39
https://en.m.wikipedia.org
The Internet Users’ Glossary, 2016-06-16. RFC
1392
Republic Act No. 10175
Republic Act No. 9775 – The Anti-Child
Pornography of 2009
“Philippines’ New Cybercrime Prevention Act
Troubling for Free Expression” Electronic
Frontier Foundation, October 1, 2012
