SC RELEASES GUIDELINES TO IDENTIFY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT OWNERS

The Supreme Court has issued guidelines to help courts determine the ownership or control of social media accounts in criminal cases.

The rules were set in a decision upholding the conviction of a man for psychological violence against his ex-partner after he posted threatening and derogatory statements on Facebook.

The SC outlined seven guideposts, including admissions of ownership, access patterns, language use, and forensic evidence linking the account to the offender.

Applying these standards, the Court confirmed that the man authored the posts, which included personal information only he would know.

He was sentenced to up to eight years in prison, fined P100,000, and ordered to undergo psychological or psychiatric treatment.

Source: PhilNews24 | December 28, 2025