SEVERAL church leaders in the Philippines expressed concern over the reported surge of fake Facebook accounts over the week.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos said the motive of those behind the scam is “scary,” adding that “they do it not with the best intentions.”
Bishop Arturo Bastes, retired prelate of Sorsogon, said the emergence of fake accounts “is very alarming and disturbing.”
“It is very dangerous as it can be used to harm or create false, derogatory information that can erode the credibility or destroy the reputation of a person,” he said.
A campus publication of the University of the Philippines in Cebu reported on June 7 that duplicate accounts of student activists who were arrested at a protest rally last week surfaced on Facebook.
“Dozens of empty duplicate accounts bearing active usernames of UP Cebu students surface tonight,” read a report from the campus publication Tug-ani.
“Victims speculate that this might involve identity theft or targeted attacks against UP students,” it said.
Aside from students of UP Cebu, students, faculty, and alumni from other UP campuses have also complained about fake accounts created under their name.
It turned out later that Facebook accounts of activists, journalists, artists across the country have also been duplicated without their knowledge.
The activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said the surge of fake accounts “is meant to derail the growing public opposition” against the anti-terrorism bill.
The group claimed that the move is a crackdown targeting activists and social media users who are critical of the proposed measure.
The group said victims of the cyber attacks were those who “signed online petitions against the bill or posted critical statements” about the government.
BAYAN accused the government of initiating a “systematic and massive coverage of the cyber crackdown.”
Facebook has issued a statement saying that it is already “investigating reports of suspicious activity on our platform and taking action on any accounts that we find to be in violation of our policies.”
The social media giant encouraged the public to continue reporting what they believed as fake and dummy accounts.
The company said it has invested to deploy “a sophisticated technology” that can proactively identify and remove fake accounts, adding that only five percent of its “monthly active users” globally are fake.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he already instructed the department’s cybercrime office to coordinate with other government agencies to “promptly investigate” the incident.
“This gives me cause for worry. We don’t need false information at a time when we’re dealing with a serious public health crisis,” Guevarra said in a message sent to reporters.
There are an estimated 45.4 million Facebook users in the Philippines as of January this year. The number of users is expected to reach nearly 50 million in 2023.
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, urged the public to “remain vigilant and immediately report any untoward incident with their accounts.”
The prelate said the public must “refuse to be immobilized by fear.” He said people must “be extra careful, make it part of the protocol to counter check.”
He said it is necessary to “verify sources and learn the ropes how to navigate the digital world in safety with available protection and safeguards.”
