What if every time you liked something on Facebook, some government official reviewed it to make sure that it was okay?  What if your friend posted a silly picture of you from college doing something stupid (but of course fun to you at the time you did it) and then you got in trouble for it years later? To say that wouldn’t be good would be a gross understatement. 

You are probably wondering why we are asking these questions.  We live in America, right?  We have freedoms to do and say what we want (as long as it isn’t criminal in nature), right?  Well, yes…..for now. 

People in the Philippines thought the same thing, at least until the government passed the Cyber Prevention Act.  This new law says that you can go to jail if you participate in cybersex, identity theft, hacking, spamming, pornography, and yes, even social media.  That means every tweet on Twitter, every post on LinkedIn, every comment on Facebook and every “like” you share has the potential to get you in trouble, and if you are really unlucky, get you put in jail.  The only good news is that the Philippines does have a similar commercial bail bond industry as the US, so you will be able to get out with a bail bond.  But the challenge for most will be to stay out of jail in the first place.

So next time you send the politically charged tweet, or post that critical comment on your Facebook page, just thank your lucky stars that you live in the US, where for now you can voice your opinion and like a Facebook page without going to jail.

Original story: Like something on Facebook, go directly to jail