House eyes probe on fake, malicious social media posts

MANILA, Philippines — Seven officials of the House of Representatives are eyeing an investigation that will identify sources of fake news on social media platforms, with the aim of “safeguarding freedom of speech and ensuring digital safety.”

Senior administration stalwarts, led by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., proposed that the investigation be conducted jointly by the House committees on public order and safety, information and communications technology and public information.

In their resolution adopted by the House, they stated that the “rapid growth of social media platforms has allowed the dissemination of content that can mislead the public, damage individual reputations, erode trust in institutions and disrupt public discourse.”

“False and malicious content has also been exploited by unscrupulous individuals to promote scams, cyberbullying and other activities that negatively impact public safety and order,” they said.

“The balance between ensuring digital safety and protecting constitutional freedoms, particularly freedom of speech and expression, must be maintained, as these are cornerstones of democracy,” they added.

Co-authors of the resolution include Deputy Speaker David Suarez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan and Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte’s (second district), Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Manila’s sixth district) and Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod party-list).

They further stated that “there is a pressing need for a collaborative approach among relevant committees to identify gaps in existing laws and recommend measures to combat harmful content while upholding the rights of individuals to participate in free and open discourse.”

The House leaders pointed out that due to the interconnected nature of technological, informational and public safety concerns, it is imperative for the three committees to conduct a joint inquiry in aid of legislation on the impact of false and malicious content in social media.

They noted that Republic Act (RA) 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, was enacted “to address the misuse, abuse and exploitation of information and communications technology and to combat content-related offenses such as the deliberate spread of false and malicious information that causes harm to individuals and the public.”

Gonzales and his colleagues vowed to make the deliberations, findings and recommendations of the joint inquiry available to the public “to promote transparency and foster trust in the process.”

The proposed inquiry would be guided by the following principles and goals:

• Upholding freedom of speech – ensuring that all proposed measures align with constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and expression and prevent any undue censorship;

• Identifying gaps of legislation – reviewing existing laws, particularly RA 10175, to identify gaps and recommend amendments that address the challenges posed by emerging technologies and harmful online content;

• Enhancing social media platform accountability –suggesting proposals to improve transparency and accountability mechanisms for social media platforms, including enhanced content moderation, reporting systems and safeguards against misuse of algorithms;

• Combating cybercrimes – recommending measures to address cybercrimes such as scams, cyberbullying and harassment arising from false and malicious online content;

• Protecting digital safety and public trust – proposing public awareness campaigns to improve digital literacy and the ability of users to discern credible information and report harmful content, and

• Including stakeholders in the process – engaging key people such as representatives from social media companies, cybersecurity experts, civil society organizations and legal experts to ensure a balanced and effective approach to combating harmful content.