Editing Identity theft (section)

=== Philippines ===
Social networking sites are one of the most famous spreaders of ''posers'' in the online community, giving the users the freedom to post any information they want without any verification that the account is being used by the real person.{{clarify|date=April 2021}}

The Philippines, which ranks eighth in the numbers of users of [[Facebook]] and other social networking sites (such as [[Twitter]], [[Multiply (website)|Multiply]] and [[Tumblr]]), has been known as a source of various identity theft problems.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.techunblocked.org/2015/06/facebook-users-by-country-wise.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310213502/https://www.techunblocked.org/2015/06/facebook-users-by-country-wise.html|url-status=dead|title=List of Facebook Users by Country Wise Top ranking 2016 - Tech Unblocked|archive-date=10 March 2016}}</ref>  Identities of people who carelessly put personal information on their profiles can easily be stolen just by simple browsing. Some people meet online, get to know each other through Facebook chat, and exchange messages that share private information.  Others get romantically involved with online friends and end up sharing too much information (such as their social security number, bank account, home address, and company address).

This phenomenon leads to the creation of the [[Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012]] (Republic Act No. 10175). Section 2 of this act states that it recognizes the importance of [[communication]] and [[multimedia]] for the development, exploitation, and dissemination of information{{clarify|date=April 2021}}, but violators will be punished by the law through imprisonment or a fine upwards of ₱200,000, but not exceeding ₱1,000,000, or (depending on the damage caused) both.