The ‘cleansing’ being done by Facebook in its platform of late has affected not just accounts by political personalities but also private individuals.
But there seems to be an intriguing denominator in the mass purging–it affects by far those affiliated to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and their supporters. Likewise, it affects those who are inimical to the interest of the opposition in this country.
It’s simply mind boggling. Any purge could have been understandable where it is done across all accounts without distinction. But this recent cleansing looks, in all angles, very suspicious as it tilts to the favor of the anti-Duterte accounts.
It all started last last week, during a press briefing in Taguig City when Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher said they have taken down a cluster of pages that have used a mix of real and fake accounts to drive messaging in behalf of political candidates. Gleicher, who flew to Manila for the briefing, said a total of 3.6 million Filipinos follow at least one of the pages and at least 1.8 million accounts are involved in one of the identified groups.
Among the casualties in the purging was the account of Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio. The mayor’s verified account, which has millions of followers, was reportedly taken down because of “massive reports”. The other notable pages removed include “Bong Go Supporters,” “Duterte Warriors,” “Pinulungang Binisaya,” “Trending Now,” and “Kuya Sonny Angara.”
Social media has proven itself to be a game-changer in Philippine elections as exemplified by the resounding victory of a short-handed Duterte machinery in 2016. This year’s mid-term elections have relied heavily on social media engagements which was reflected in surveys of electoral frontrunners in the May polls.
Has Facebook been manipulated unfairly by one side in this fierce political battle?
The answer boils down to the obvious fact that Facebook is a multi-million global business and whoever has the money is in control of the platform. Simple as that.
