A ruling family which was driven out of power 36 years ago, accused of spectacular greed and brutality, is all but set to return to Malacañang – the presidential palace.It is a stunning blow to those in the Philippines who have campaigned for accountability for the abuses of the old Marcos era.

On the eve of elections that look set to return the son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos to the presidential palace, the regime's victims are hurt and dismayed – but determined to renew their struggle."In other countries, dictators were lined up against the wall.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose dictator father and namesake presided over massive plunder and human rights abuses in the Philippines, is on the verge of winning the presidency after a decades-long effort to revive the family brand.Voter surveys show Marcos Jr, known by his nickname "Bongbong", heading towards a landslide victory in the 9 May polls, boosted by a well-funded social media campaign that critics say has tried to rewrite history.In the 36 years since a popular uprising topple

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

When the news broke last week that Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX and the world’s richest man, had paid US$2.9 billion (£2.3 billion) for 9.2 percent of Twitter, the media world – old and new – briefly lost what might loosely be called its collective mind. What was Musk up to? (He’s always up to something, after all, even if it’s just trolling.

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

China has sought to keep a diplomatic distance from the war in Ukraine, choosing to abstain in a United Nations (UN) vote condemning Russia's invasion.It is also making concerted efforts to stifle strong views about the conflict on Chinese social-media platforms.It's a fine line to tread.

In the war on disinformation, the enemy can be hard to determine. Journalists, politicians, governments, and even grandparents have been accused of enabling the spread of online falsehoods. While none of these groups is entirely innocent, the real adversary is more mundane.

Rohingya refugees sued Facebook on Monday for US$150 billion over claims the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, exacerbating violence against the vulnerable minority.The complaint, lodged in a California court, says the algorithms that power the United States-based company promote disinformation and extremist thought that translates to real-world violence."Facebook is like a robot programmed with a singular mission: to grow," the court document states.&qu

A bipartisan coalition of United States (US) state attorneys general said on Thursday it has opened a probe into Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms, for promoting its subsidiary Instagram to children despite potential harms.The investigation, involving at least nine states, comes at a time when Facebook is under scrutiny over its approach to children and young adults.The attorneys general are investigating whether the company violated consumer protection laws and put young people at risk,