Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, author and principal sponsor of the Anti-Terrorism Bill in the Senate and the version that the Lower House adopted to fast-track its passage, suspected that groups or individuals who have expressed disapproval of the bill may be behind the proliferation of the fake profiles.
This is despite the government agencies who said they will investigate the matter such as the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime and National Privacy Commission and even Facebook itself have yet to come out with findings on the incident that started on June 6.
“Nakakabahala in the sense na pwedeng kasama ‘yun sa scare tactics. For all we know, ‘yung kumokontra ‘yung nagpapakalat niyan, para matakot ‘yung mga tao, by dishing out disinformation,” Lacson said in an interview with CNN Philippines The Source, noting how such act may influence the public’s stance on the measure.
[It’s worrisome in the sense that it’s part of the scare tactics. For all we know, those who oppose are spreading that, so that people will be scared.]
While many who said they are not political or they are pro-government also gained impostor accounts, the first to report widespread dummy accounts are members or alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) community from different parts of the country and those who have in any way voiced their opposition to the anti-terrorism bill or the government’s policies. Members of UP Cebu, following the arrest of protesters of the ti-terrorism bill in the campus premises on June 5, raised alarm on the surge of fake accounts.
The impostor accounts have started messaging real persons’s accounts and activist groups pages in the same language and manner as did pro-government trolls that netizens have suffered with online more increasingly since the 2016 elections.
Some of those who reported the impostor accounts also find some difficulties as Facebook replied that they did not find violation of community standards in the profile reported.
Bayan Metro Manila said this is the handiwork of a government-backed cyber army as evidenced by the systematic and massive coverage of the cyber crackdown.
“The fake profiles can be manipulated which can be used later on as basis to file trumped-up cases against the real owners of the accounts. The victims could become suspects under repressive laws such as the Cybercrime Prevention Act and the Human Security Act (or new Terror Law, if signed by Duterte),” said the group in its statement.
The group said another objective is to instill fear among Internet users, discourage others to oppose the Terror Bill, and silence critical citizens even if they are not affiliated with any political group.
Senator Francis Pangilinan and Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate also expressed worry that the dummy Facebook accounts may be used to plant incriminating evidence against activists and dissenters.
Some cybersecurity experts said the dummy accounts may be used for or against those who protest the anti-terrorism bill.
The Department of National Defense, its secretary being one of the main proponents of the anti-terrorism bill, also said they will launch an investigation on the fake Facebook accounts.
Lacson also said in the interview that Congressmen can’t recall vote of support to anti-terrorism bill.
“Pwede sa media, pero sa Congress, hindi. I think that House and Senate will transmit the measure today as an enrolled bill. It’s up to the President to veto, approve, or not act on it,” said Lacson.
[In media, they can, but not in Congress.]
