i. Rationale

Proof of Authorship in Social Media and Penalty Escalation Under Republic Act No. 10175

Authorship of a social media post and ownership of an account are determined not solely by the profile's photo and displayed name, but through the totality of circumstances¹. In XXX v. People, G.R. No. 274842, 29 June 2026, the Supreme Court explained that establishing account ownership and post authorship through such totality of circumstances supports a finding of guilt beyond reasonable doubt for crimes committed online, such as psychological abuse under Section 5(i) of Republic Act No. 9262¹.

Under Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175, committing an offense through information and communications technology increases the imposable penalties by one degree, covering both imprisonment and fines¹. Applying Article 75 of the Revised Penal Code, XXX clarifies that when a fine is increased by one degree, the maximum fine increases by one-fourth, while the statutory minimum remains unchanged¹.