A SOCIAL media watchdog has launched a multisector task force against fake news on social media.
Michael Raymond Aragon, Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas Inc. (KSMBPI) chairman, said in an interview over the weekend that the aim of the Task Force Against Fake News (TF-AFN) was to help internet users “navigate through reliable and unreliable news sources online.”
“This is the beginning of our sectoral recruitment and training activities of volunteers who will help fight truth decay in this unregulated sector of Philippine society, the social media,” said Aragon.
He said KSMBPI had initially partnered with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) to educate people on crucial environmental concerns and train them under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) course on Social Media Content Creation “so they can start their advocacy on spreading the truth about climate change and fight the lies that climate change deniers are spreading.”
As Tesda’s industry partner, KSMBPI started training individuals as teachers of the pioneering social media course.
Aragon said CCC Commissioner Albert de la Cruz had approved the partnership with KSMBPI “so we can propagate the correct information and education on environmental issues.”
Aragon said KSMBPI was targeting to enlist “citizen journalists” who will educate “by vlogging online” the correct information on national issues.
He said his group had also reached out to Health Secretary Teodora Herbosa on the possibility of a private sector media task force on health “so we can help the Department of Health fight the proliferation of fake health information in social media, most especially advertisements about fake drugs and unsanctioned pseudo-medical care services that are being offered online.”
Aragon said they had also coordinated with Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia and other Comelec commissioners on the possibility of a partnership for the 2025 midterm elections through voter education and factual information campaigns.
“We also reached out to Department of Information And Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan Uy, and we intend to talk to more government agencies about our vision of a whole-of-society approach in fighting the fake news in social media, particularly in their special fields of service,” he said.
KSMBPI has warned against the “clear and present danger” posed by unregulated social media on the country’s national security and way of life.
KSMBPI has been advocating for a law on social media regulation, particularly the creation of a National Social Media Regulatory Board.
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