Manila, Dec. 26 -- The Supreme Court (SC) has laid down guideposts for proving who owns or controls a social media account in criminal cases.

In a 30-page decision made public Friday, the SC's First Division affirmed the conviction of an individual, "John," for committing psychological violence against his ex-girlfriend, "Mary," by posting derogatory statements about her on Facebook.

John and Mary were in a relationship for three years when Mary became pregnant. He offered her marriage, but she refused because of their problems. She raised their child alone, living with her parents.

Years later, Mary's siblings received a private message on Facebook Messenger from an account they knew belonged to John. In the message, he insinuated tha...