The United States Department of Justice Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training and the Supreme Court of the Philippines conducted a training for nine SC magistrates and more than 30 Court of Appeals justices on resolving cases involving cybercrimes last March 25.
The US Embassy in the Philippines said OPDAT and the SC Sub-Committee on Commercial Courts held the training as the country is in the process of implementing the new Rule on Cybercrime Warrants, which facilitates the detection, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrime offenses.
This training supported the implementation of the RCW and addressed new issues posed by emerging computer-facilitated crimes, including digital security and privacy risks, the embassy statement said.
“This is part of an OPDAT partnership with the Philippines to build government capacity to effectively fight cyber-enabled crimes,” the statement said.
During the training, Ovie Carroll, U.S. DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section Cybercrime Laboratory director, and Daniel Ogden, CCIPS Senior Digital Investigative analyst, discussed the nuances and evidentiary value of computer data in comparison to traditional evidence, as well as the security risks and benefits inherent in digital devices.
They also shared techniques for gathering, preserving, and analyzing digital evidence. Their presentation provided the justices with practical insights to help them apply and enhance the RCW.