(06/08/2016) New updates below this post.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory but it doesn't sound so far-fetched.
So days ago, journalist Ed Lingao had an anti-Marcos post on Facebook that was deleted. It has since been restored and Facebook apologized:
The post was incorrectly removed and has since been restored. We promptly restored the content once we realized this, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Now there's a case of a woman on Facebook telling the story of being harassed this morning by Duterte fans. It has been removed too but here is a screenshot:
After the post went viral, her account was also reported multiple times so she was banned from logging in without verification. Her inbox has also been filled with hate mail and death threats.
It is suspicious how it was removed. I know you can report posts on Facebook. I have done these many times and Facebook quickly returns with a message saying the posts do not violate standards.
I have reported posts that are offensive and they were not removed. Ed Lingao and the lady's posts are not offensive but they were removed. I wonder why.
I can make assumptions. Maybe Facebook automatically deletes posts that have been reported multiple times at the same time. I don't know how many the reports should be though.
What's creepier, though, is if the posts were removed by a human moderator. They are based in Manila. What if these moderators are pro-Marcos and Duterte that they consciously censor Facebook posts that criticize their idols?
Facebook should look into this because if this continues we'd have a scenario where the anti-Duterte posts, even if valid, get censored on Facebook. People who post legitimate criticism on the next President and his government may even be banned from Facebook.
Sure, Facebook is just a website, and a private company at that, but censorship is never a good thing. The moderation should only be if the images are pornographic, or if they carry gore. But if they are opinions, they should be left on the site. Freedom of expression should be respected on all platforms.
UPDATE: More cases like these have been reported since this post:
On June 4, Saturday, the Facebook book of a group of journalists was taken down. They suspect that it was mobbed by Duterte supporters after they posted their condemnation of the new President's seeming endorsement for media killings.
The other case may have confirmed this secret mob. On June 5, the Juan Nationalist page, which regularly posts anti-Duterte stories, was taken down for a few hours. The page owner reached out to a Facebook official, who confirmed that his page had been reported by a mob.
One question that should be answered is why this mob takes the time to ban valid opinion on Facebook. Their President has assured that he will protect the media and he also invokes freedom of speech. Is this another case of double-speak, where a politician says one thing, but directs his followers to do the opposite? It's not surprising because Duterte is known to change his words as quickly as he changes clothes. Tunay na pabago-bago, so to speak.
And who is this mob? Is it an extension of Duterte's 10-M social media campaign team that now wants to terrorize the internet with their new-found power? And who is their leader?
I hope more details about this get revealed in the next few days.
0 comments: