THE Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is due to implement new protocols on handling social media evidence, following the Supreme Court’s issuance of guideposts on proving ownership and control of online accounts. ”This will help our investigators build stronger cases. For ongoing investigations, we will review digital evidence carefully, while future cases will be handled more systematically and transparently, specifically regarding social media posts,” PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement. The high court issued the Seven Guideposts to prove ownership or control of social media accounts in criminal cases following a conviction for psychological violence under Republic Act 9262, also known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. These include admission of authorship, account access, unique knowledge, language patterns, records from providers or device forensics, consistency with previous posts and other indications of ownership or control. The case involved a man who repeatedly harassed his former girlfriend on Facebook after she blocked him. Despite his denials, the Court found that the account posts came from him, citing profile photos, messages to her siblings and other factors consistent with the Seven Guideposts. The Court affirmed his conviction, noting that proving the offender’s identity is crucial in social media-related crimes. The man was sentenced to up to eight years in prison, fined P100,000 and required to undergo psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment. Nartatez said the initiative reinforces due process in the digital age. ”Now, a person cannot be condemned through mere screenshots or posts that could be fake or hacked. It ensures that law enforcement and the courts follow clear procedures, which strengthens public trust in our justice system,” he added. The PNP has ordered the inclusion of the guideposts in standard police procedures. The Anti-Cybercrime Group and regional cyber units, it said, are being equipped with advanced tools to trace, verify and preserve digital evidence. The PNP is establishing formal channels with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and TikTok to facilitate timely verification of accounts involved in criminal cases. Nartatez encouraged the public to report online crimes promptly with supporting evidence, such as screenshots with timestamps, URLs or communication logs.