MANILA (UCAN): The decision of tech giant, Meta, to end partnership deals with fact-checking groups threatens a surge of fake news and disinformation, say activists in the Philippines.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of the Facebook-owing tech giant Meta, announced the decision to end contacts with third-party fact-checking platforms in early January. Besides Facebook, Meta owns other popular social media platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Threads.
Jing Rey Henderson, head of communications and partnership development of Catholic charity Caritas Philippines, said the decision “is a difficult one in the Philippine social media and information landscape where revisionism, fake news, and disinformation abound.”
Henderson said Zuckerberg’s decision “is like removing the basic access to truthful information” on social media, which Filipinos widely use to communicate with family and friends.
She noted that in the Philippines, nearly 87 million of the nation’s estimated 117 million people use Facebook for entertainment and information.
“We are yet to know the long-term effect of this decision on us as a nation,” the Catholic official said, adding that “social media will now be more open to lies, deception, and disinformation.”
Zuckerberg said in a statement that they “will get rid of our fact-checking control, stop demoting fact-checked content, and, instead of overlaying full-screen interstitial warnings that you have to click through before you can even see the post, we will use a much less obtrusive label indicating that there is additional information for those who want to see it.”
A public poll by Social Weather Stations in 2021 showed that about 51 per cent of Filipinos find it difficult to discern “fake news” on social media, radio, and television.
Philippine-based advocacy group Movement Against Disinformation [MAD] also strongly criticised Meta’s decision.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
The group called it “a grave threat to the already fragile information ecosystem” in the Philippines. In a January 9 statement, the group urged Meta to reinstate its third-party fact-checking programme.
“Disinformation in Philippine social media has already had a terrible effect on its democracy, evidenced by the ongoing harassment of journalists, activists, artists, and lawyers,” the group said.
Rappler, a leading Philippine online news site founded in 2012 by Nobel Prize winner, Maria Ressa, also condemned Meta’s decision.
“Allowing manipulative and harmful content to flourish and gain eyeballs in platforms under the guise of ‘free speech’ is opportunistic and puts people’s health, well-being, and safety at risk,” Ressa said.
As of January 2024, Facebook has over three billion monthly active users worldwide, making it the world’s most popular social media platform.
