In an attempt to fight misinformation in the digital age, Senator Francis Pangilinan seeks to penalize Facebook for allowing the propogation of fake news and hoaxes on its pages.
Philippine Senate Resolution (PSR) 271 was filed late Wed afternoon. Pangilinan asked the Senate to conduct an inquiry on the proliferation of misinformation on the social media giant.
The Liberal Party president said that Facebook plays a “key role in the practice of democracy.”
“More than being an online platform, Facebook may be described as a de facto media company or publisher that should be responsible and accountable for the content it distributes and allows to be distributed, in order to protect the national discourse from fabricated and false news,” he said.
“The propagation of fake news stories has become an effective weapon of several political operatives to influence public opinion and national discourse. As a result, the level and quality of public discourse have suffered,” Pangilinan said.
Facebook received withering criticism from the public after it failed to control the spread of fake news in the height of the 2016 presidential election in the US.
Pangilinan’s resolution was inspired by German lawmakers who are planning to penalize Facebook for fake stories that are not taken down within 24 hours.
In response, Facebook has mounted tools to help fight misinformation in Germany, but the effectivity of the new tools has not been tested yet.
According to Kiko Pangilinan’s website, “In 2016 the Philippines had 59.2 million Internet users, with more than 22 million actively engaged on Facebook during the May national elections. Criticisms have been leveled on the role of the Internet and social media for the rampant spread of misinformation and fake news sites that may have influenced critical decision-making.”
