MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) will implement new procedures for handling social media evidence in criminal investigations following the Supreme Court’s issuance of guideposts on proving account ownership and control.

PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said Sunday that the guidelines will help investigators authenticate digital evidence and strengthen criminal cases.

“For ongoing investigations, we will review digital evidence carefully, while future cases will be handled more systematically and transparently when it comes to social media posts,” Nartatez said.

The Supreme Court had earlier established seven guideposts for determining ownership or authorship of online accounts. These include admission of authorship, account access, language patterns, device forensics, consistency of posts, and other indicators. The move came after the court affirmed the conviction of a man found guilty of repeatedly harassing his former girlfriend on Facebook.

Nartatez said the ruling reinforces due process in the digital age.

“Now, a person can no longer be easily convicted based solely on a screenshot or post that may be fake or hacked. It ensures that law enforcement and the courts follow clear procedures, which strengthens public trust in our justice system,” he said.

Police units are being instructed to integrate the guideposts into standard procedures, while cybercrime units are being equipped with tools to trace and preserve online evidence. The PNP is also coordinating with major social media platforms to expedite account verification.

Nartatez urged the public to report online crimes properly and cautioned against taking matters into their own hands.

“Remember, do not try to hack or access accounts yourself. Just report the matter to the nearest police station or through our Anti-Cybercrime Group,” he said.