Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has rejected a proposed law requiring social media users to register their real names and phone numbers, citing threats to free speech and privacy, his spokesman said Friday.The legislation, designed to combat fake news, online abuse, text scams and militant bombings, also required mobile phone users to provide their personal details when buying SIM cards.It was approved by both houses of Congress in February, but critics said it was a form of state survei

Philippine social media has exploded with support for presidential election favourite Ferdinand Marcos Junior, driven by a massive misinformation campaign aimed at revamping the family brand and smearing his top rival.False and misleading claims have flooded Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter in the lead-up to the 9 May polls, pounding Filipinos with a relentless barrage of propaganda on platforms where they rank among the heaviest users in the world.Voter surveys show the son and namesake

After Russia invaded Ukraine, some young Americans created scam Instagram accounts that shared videos and photos about the unfolding events. Pretending to be journalists on the ground, they attracted millions of followers and profited from the ads placed on their pages before they were taken down.

Many nationalists and political analysts in the Philippines, and even the public, are asking why the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has partnered with Rappler. This media entity, for many Filipinos, is perceived to be devoid of credibility, integrity, and most importantly, is the least trusted media entity in the country.Based on the PUBLiCUS Asia Inc.

I’ve been a professional free-expression advocate for more than a decade. That is why I support the Facebook Oversight Board’s recent decision to uphold former President Donald Trump’s suspension from the platform and Facebook’s new protocol whereby public figures may be banned for up to two years during times of civil unrest.

The Myanmar junta has charged a Japanese journalist under a "fake news" law, a report said Tuesday, in the latest blow to press freedom since the military seized power.Freelance reporter Yuki Kitazumi was arrested last month and charged on Monday – World Press Freedom Day – with spreading fake news, according to a report by Kyodo news agency.He is one of 50 journalists currently held in Myanmar as part of the junta's crackdown on widespread protests against its 1 February coup.

Spreading at least as quickly as the COVID-19 virus, an ‘infodemic’ has infected large swaths of media and information exchange across ASEAN. Massive amounts of information, including rumours, misinformation and disinformation have reached millions of people who are hoping to understand how to stay safe until the pandemic has been controlled.

Facebook on Monday said it is ramping up efforts to stem the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, spread facts, and figure out who might be wary of getting the jab.The move includes banning groups that repeatedly spread misinformation and debunked claims about the virus and vaccines in general.The leading social network has been highlighting health advice from reliable agencies and removing COVID-19 misinformation for months and on Monday expanded that initiative.A list of debunk

Public trust and confidence in the efficacy, safety, and appropriateness of a coronavirus vaccine to be procured and made available in a country like the Philippines is heavily dependent on the political context in which a potential candidate vaccine is approved and distributed. These are also contingent on the kind of information about the potential candidate COVID-19 vaccine(s) being dispersed by the mainstream media, medical practitioners, political personalities, and gov

Even before the pandemic, Filipinos have long realised the importance of information communication technologies (ICTs) such as personal and networked computers, mobile telephones, the internet and emails, including social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linked, etc.).