Unregulated social media threat to security

A SOCIAL media watchdog highlighted the “clear and present danger” that unregulated social media may pose to national security.

“Filipinos are increasingly at risk of disinformation campaigns, many of which have rapidly escalated on social media platforms in recent years,” said Michael Aragon, Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas Inc. (KSMBPI) founding chairman, in an interview on Sunday.

“A serious discussion needs to be had on the unfettered influences these platforms can have and how their worst effects can be mitigated,” Aragon said.

“Deliberate disinformation and willful misinformation” are effective in sowing “divisiveness, confusion and chaos,” and social media platforms can help amplify them, he said.

“Social media platforms have that ‘power’ to convince individuals, especially those belonging to the so-called Generation Z, that what they are seeing or reading is true even though it is completely false, for instance, with direct implications for the shaping of views on conflicts or issues,” said Aragon.

He cited a recent instance when a social media platform was used as a tool to motivate people to act negatively and shape the way they think and perceive issues.

“Recall the recent series of widespread violent protests by students in the United States that even reached the campuses of certain Ivy League schools due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza,” said Aragon.

“The fire inside these student protesters that resulted in their deep anger and frustration, which turned into violence, was mostly fueled by ‘Osama Bin Laden’s Letter to America,’ a video that presented an evil indoctrination/ manipulation/ mind conditioning scheme on social media particularly on TikTok that was emotionally watched and assimilated by 14 million millennials, Gen Z across America,” he said.

In the Philippines, deepfakes and other fabricated material have had an impact on society and mass influence, he said.

With a population that logs into the Internet, the highest in the world, to sign into their respective social media accounts of their choice, a strategically crafted misinformation campaign can have a high chance of success, Aragon said.

Such a scenario could lead to a catastrophe, especially since the Philippines is nearing an election period.

“We must welcome innovation and the advancement of technology to improve our lives,” Aragon said.

“It should not act against us. That is why the usage and impact of social media needs more profound analysis, and hopefully, a well-crafted strategy will deliver a sustainable governance framework that can protect us from possible negative impacts from such an innovation,” he said.