Guest post by Filipino correspondent
MANILA, Philippines- On Monday night (PHT), Rodrigo Duterte warned social media tech giant Facebook in a pre-recorded late-night address.
Duterte warned, “You cannot lay down a policy for my government. I allow you to operate here. You cannot bar or prevent me from espousing the objectives of the government.”
According to a report from a local news site Inquirer.net:
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Facebook has shut down over 100 fake accounts traced to police and military units in the Philippines for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior” (CIB), according to Nathaniel Gleicher, cybersecurity policy chief of the social media giant.
Gleicher said most of the content in the fake accounts — which were managed by people affiliated with various police and military agencies — revolved around criticism of the opposition, activism, and communism. Gleicher said that the domestic network consisted of around 57 Facebook accounts, 31 pages, and 20 Instagram accounts. The sites had over 276,000 followers on Facebook and 55,000 on Instagram.
The network has been most active, he noted, since 2019 when discussions about the Anti-Terrorism Act were at their peak.
However, both the military and the police on Wednesday denied the supposed fake accounts and pages that have been taken down by Facebook for “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
Duterte also accused “fascist Facebook” of enabling rebellion after the shutdown of the fake accounts. He accused Facebook of helping and “encouraging” communists by blocking the government’s efforts. Duterte further cast doubt on the future of Facebook’s operation in the country.
CNN Philippines reported:
Duterte pointed out that it is his job to protect the interests of the government.“If you cannot help me protect government interest, then let us talk,” he said.
The President also accused the social media platform of enabling rebellion after the shutdown of the fake accounts.
“If you are promoting the cause of the rebellion, which was already here before you came, and thousands of my soldiers and civilians dying,” said Duterte.
“Then if you cannot reconcile the idea of what your purpose is or was, then we have to talk.”
“Is there a life after Facebook? I don’t know,” warned Duterte.
