This was inevitable. The societal cancer that are cybersex rackets have metastasized into so-called "sextortion" rackets. Foreigners getting off on Filipinas and children now find themselves victims of blackmail as syndicates threaten to reveal their sex acts if they don't pay a bribe. Philippine society is a predatory society with the strong exploiting the weak but now it seems the predators have become the prey. It's a jungle out there.
While not exclusively a Philippine problem given the reach of the Internet transcends borders, it is troubling that this dirty business is growing. This is what happens when law enforcement is either too ill-equipped or incompetent to deal with cyber crimes. While laws are in place, it is difficult to implement. Even a small house in the outskirts of Cebu City with enough Internet connection can become a haven for the wholesale exploitation of humanity without anyone noticing. Security versus privacy... the fight that never ends.
So what can be done? Not much. You can be an optimist and believe it's a fight we can win with the help of Interpol picking up the slack of the local police. You can be a pessimist and believe exploitation is always going to get worse until it outruns our police capabilities. It's a societal problem to be sure. Why, if people were angels, none of this would exist.
Dog eat dog.
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