Charges Dropped in ‘Love Bug’ Virus Case

The Philippines dropped all charges against a computer school dropout suspected of being responsible for the “love bug” virus that hit computers around the world in May, causing billions of dollars in damage. Onel de Guzman, 24, had been charged under a law dealing with illegal use of passwords for credit card and bank transactions. The National Bureau of Investigation had said the law was the only applicable one for the case since legislation dealing with measures against computer hacking was approved only in June. Investigators alleged de Guzman had unleashed the virus in an effort to steal passwords for Internet access. But his lawyers said he may have transmitted it by mistake.