Online chat logs, videos admissible in criminal cases - Supreme Court

(Metro Manila, Philippines) – Online chat logs and videos may be used as evidence in court to determine the commission of a crime, the Supreme Court reiterated on Tuesday, December 3.

This ruling was made in the case of Eul Vincent O. Rodriguez, convicted of qualified trafficking in persons under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208). He was sentenced to life imprisonment, fined ₱2 million, and ordered to pay ₱600,000 in damages with legal interest.

The case stemmed from a 2013 investigation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force of Region 7, prompted by a tip from United States authorities.

Police used a decoy account to document Rodriguez offering nude shows, including one involving his minor cousins. An entrapment operation led to his arrest after he accepted payment for arranging an explicit live show with a 14-year-old girl.

The Supreme Court dismissed Rodriguez’s appeal whose main argument was that the use of chat logs as evidence violated his right to privacy.

The Court ruled that the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173) allows the processing of sensitive personal information when determining criminal liability.

It emphasized the significance of digital evidence in proving exploitation, which in Rodriguez’s case was through platforms like Skype and Facebook.