CICC steps up monitoring after deadly Tacloban school shooting

MANILA, Philippines — The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Tuesday said it has intensified its surveillance on online activities, including a gaming application it temporarily blocked following the fatal shooting incident in a school in Tacloban City.

According to the CICC, its Threat Monitoring Center collaborated with the Council for the Welfare of Children for this initiative.

“Among other applications, we will be conducting strict monitoring to gain greater visibility into online activities involving GoreBox,” CICC undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said in a press release.

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READ: Police: Tacloban school shooting suspect played ‘violent’ game

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The CICC on Tuesday also temporarily blocked GoreBox after the police found out that one of the two suspects played it prior to the shooting incident. The CICC said that the game is known for its “graphic depictions of violence” and allows players to experiment with different kinds of weapons.

Two male Grade 9 students, aged 14 and 15, opened fire in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on Monday which killed three students and injured 20 others. Capoy then identified the 14-year-old suspect as the one who played the game.

With this, Paraiso cited the need for vigilance in the digital space following the exposure of many Filipino children to the internet.

“Our priority is the safety and well-being of Filipino children exposed to the internet. Beyond this temporary ban, we are reinforcing our monitoring efforts to identify online spaces that may pose risks to young users and to ensure that appropriate interventions are made immediately,” he expressed.

The CICC then encouraged the public to report cases of cyberbullying and other threats through Hotline 1326 or [email protected]. It added that it will continue to coordinate with other concerned agencies as the investigation on the incident is ongoing. /mr

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