Risa Hontiveros Exposed Students Selling Sensitive Videos Online for Financial
An online group on Facebook where students selling sensitive videos to allegedly fund and pursue their studies, said Senator Risa Hontiveros.
In the statement, Senator Risa Hontiveros said that there is another group chat on Facebook, the “Blue Room” that was discovered by his office after the first group chats, “Red Room,” was disclosed at the hearing on the issue.
The chairman of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, said that due to poverty and lack of resources to pursue online learning, some students are forced to sell sensitive videos to fund their studies.
“Hindi lahat may internet. Hindi lahat may pera para magpa-load araw araw. Hindi lahat may cellphone at laptop. Kaya ang ibang estudyante, napilitan na magbenta ng malalaswang larawan at videos nila para matustusan ang kanilang pag-aaral,” said Hontiveros.
At the previous hearing, Hontiveros was allowed to show screenshots from an informant who was a former member of such a Facebook group, known as Redroom used by the youth to sell obscene photos and videos.
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According to Hontivers, their informant previously joined the group chat and started to sell personal videos to buy load for his online learning. He later quit but one of his previous clients started blackmailing him if he stops distributing videos.
“This is happening on Facebook, the biggest and most used platform of Filipinos. Kung hindi nag-report ang informant namin, walang nakakaalam na dumadami at dumadami lang ang mga batang naabuso sa social media,” the senator said.
The lawmaker said that the Redroom had more than 7,000 members until Facebook removed it after being handcuffed in the hearing. But, Hontiveros said that in her office’s ongoing investigation, it was discovered that there was another group with similar content, called the Blue room with over 20,000 members.
“Social media networks must be more proactive. They have the duty to use the sophistication of their technology to put an end to this exploitation. Unahin dapat nila ang kapakanan ng ating kabataan, hindi ang kanilang kita,” she said.
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