Opisyal ng Palasyo napa-'angry reax' sa 'mass takedown' ng mga FB page

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:29 p.m., September 24) — Hindi maiwasang mag-alburoto sa frustration ang isang opisyal ng gobyerno matapos mapagdesisyunan ng Facebook na sabay-sabay tanggalin sa kanilang social networking site ang ilang pages at accounts na bumibira sa mga kritiko ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.

Nangyari ito kasabay ng desisyon ng social media site na tanggalin ang network ng 57 accounts, 31 pages, 20 Instagram accounts atbp. dahil sa "foreign or government interference" at "coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity."

Nagmula raw ang mga ito sa Pilipinas.

Basahin: Facebook takes down Chinese, Philippine networks due to 'coordinated inauthentic behavior'

Dismayado riyan si Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) Executive Director Joel Egco lalo na't na-take down pati ang FB page na "Hands Off Our Children" — organisasyong itinayo ng mga magulang na nag-uugnay sa mga aktibista sa New People's Army (NPA) matapos diumano i-rekrut ang kanilang mga anak.

"[I have] to get this off my chest. It is revolting when FB took down the page of Hands Off Our Children and other legitimate advocacy pages as a result of a 'witch hunt' it launched against supposed accounts with "inauthentic behaviors," ani Egco.

"True democracy welcomes plurality of opinions and views as they stir deep thinking. The Hands Off Our Children is not just an advocacy page but are real parents, real mothers who weep. Real people who live and fight for their rights."

Ilan sa mga kilalang miyembro ng Hands Off Our Children ay si Relissa Lucena — ina ni Alicia Lucena — na nirekluta ng organisasyong Anakbayan, isang ligal na organisasyon ng kabataan.

Ani Relissa, nawala na lang daw kasi ang anak niya at biglang nagbago nang maging aktibista. Gayunpaman, dati nang lumantad si Alicia na hindi nawawala at ikwinento kung paano siya inabuso ng mga magulang kung kaya't umalis ng tahanan. Hindi na rin siya menor de edad at 18-anyos na, taliwas sa sabi ng kanyang magulang na siya'y "missing minor."

Basahin: SC junks petition vs Elago, Anakbayan: Young activist not missing, can make her choices | May kinalaman: ‘Missing’ students deny being kidnapped by leftist groups. So what really went on?

Giit pa ni Egco, kahina-hinala raw ang pakikilahok ng DFRLabs sa nangyaring imbestigasyon ng Facebook, lalo na't "foreign interest" daw ito. Dahil dito, pinag-aaralan na raw nila na dalhin ang isyu sa korte.

"We cannot underestimate the power and extent of influence of the characters behind this latest move by FB. I guess, maybe, it is about time to bring this matter to court as a matter of civic duty," ani Egco.

"A class suit is at hand. We can't stand idly by while these people rape our sovereign will as a people. Isang malaking P-Ina!"

Pulis, militar inuugnay sa mga 'fake' accounts

Iniuugnay ngayon ng Facebook ang naturang fake accounts at activity sa Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), matapos imbestigahan ang reklamo ng ilang civil society groups at news organizations gaya ng Rappler.

Ang mga nasabing accounts at pages ay aktibo diumano pagdating sa isyung domestic policies, terorismo, anti-terrorism law, aktibismo, komunismo at mga kahalintulad na paksa.

Tinatayang nasa $1,100 daw ang ginagastos na paid ads ng mga ito, na kataumbas ng halos P53,350.

Sa panayam ng PSN, sinabi ni Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson,  na "patuloy" silang susunod sa kanilang institutional policy ng "cyber etiquette" at "proper decorum" sa lahat ng public engagements gaya ng social media.

"As far as we are concerned, official Facebook pages of the PNP and those of our lower units remain compliant with standards and continue to serve its purpose along these objectives," ani Banac.

"Thus, all comments and opinions of individual personnel, associations and sectoral groups on matters that are not related to the organization's activities are hereby disowned by the PNP as unofficial and unauthorized."

Nirerespeto naman daw ng PNP ang desisyon ng FB na gawin ang nakikita nilang dapat kung merong nangyayaring paglabag sa terms of use.

Ilang buwan pa lang ang nakalilipas nang pagtatawaging "communist terrorist" ng Police Regional Office 13 at Malaybalay PNP ang mga ligal na grupong aktibista at mga supporter ng media outfit na ABS-CBN.

Basahin: Malaybalay Police pinagpapaliwanag ng PNP | May kaugnayan: PNP 'art' tags activists as terrorists amid debate on anti-terrorism bill

Ano-anong pages ang damay?

Ilan pa sa mga kwestyonableng pages at groups na tinanggal ng Facebook at Instagram ang:

• Hands Off Our Children
• Solid Sarah Z Duterte 2022
• South China Sea Outpost
• Talahib
• Ang Aking Bayan
• Bantayog
• League of Democratic
• Jona zizon
• Hayagan NA 
• Enlightened Youth
• Silip Pinoy
• Kalinaw News
• Buhay Sundalo
• ITO KAMI.
• SOCIAL MEDIA OPERATION TRAINING CL-02–18
• Pinoy Ako
• Masang Pinoy

Ayon sa Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), may access sila sa 23 pages, 42 Facebook user accounts at 28 Instagram accounts bago tuluyang tinanggal online.

'Magkano ang gastos ng gobyerno rito?'

Samantala, nananawagan naman ngayon ang ilang militanteng grupo na maimbestigahan ng Konggreso kung magkano ang nagastos ng gobyerno sa pagmanage ng mga nasabing fake accounts na ginagamit sa red-tagging at misinformation.

"Congress should also investigate these fake FB accounts because public funds may have been used to bank roll these operations as these accounts have been traced to have connections to the AFP and PNP and their operations intensified when the NTF-ELCAC was in full swing. Congress was also the one who approved these budget," sambit ni Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate sa isang pahayag, Miyerkules.

"The people also need to know these specific accounts that are spreading fake news and disinformation because taxpayers' money may have been used to fund these accounts. The ones using these accounts and the ones funding it should be held responsible."

'Yan naman din ang pananaw ng grupong Karapatan ngayong hapon, lalo na't patunay daw ito lalo na suportado ng gobyerno ang mga pang-aatake at panloloko gamit ang internet.

Ayon kay Cristina Palabay, secretary general ng Karapatan, nakakagalit lalo na't kaya raw gumastos ng gobyerno ng mahigit P50,000 para sa disinformation sa panahon ng coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

"We are in the middle of a pandemic and instead, the investigation conducted by Facebook highly suggests that the government is spending our taxes to weaponize social media to spread lies online and to attack its critics — and the actual amount of money they have spent and pocketed can be much, much higher," sambit niya.