The Philippine Senate has passed legislation to combat anonymous social media harassment
A senator said on Thursday that lawmakers in the Philippines have adopted legislation forcing social media users to register their legal names and phone numbers when opening new accounts, in an ambitious bid to combat online abuse and disinformation.
In a country infamous for online trolling, misinformation, and the use of anonymous social media accounts, the law represents an unusual drive by a legislature to require users to give facts that would allow them to be tracked.
"It is our little contribution to combating the anonymity that allows trolls and other destructive acts to thrive in the era of social media," said Senator Franklin Drilon, one of the bill's writers. The law was passed by the lower house and senate but still needs presidential assent.
"This new provision will prevent anyone from creating anonymous internet profiles in order to abuse somebody indefinitely and violently."
The law does not make it clear how social media corporations would know whether a name or phone number used to establish an account was fraudulent. For giving incorrect information, the law imposes jail time, significant penalties, or both.
In the Philippines, Twitter and Facebook have come under fire for failing to tackle false news and inauthentic accounts, particularly in the political sphere.
Facebook declined to comment on the Philippine law, while Twitter did not react quickly to a comment request.
It comes ahead of a general election in May in which a president, parliamentarians, and hundreds of political positions will be decided, with social media expected to be a crucial campaign battlefield.
A well-organized social media campaign is credited with propelling Rodrigo Duterte to the president in 2016, and his detractors believe his supporters have assured his continued dominance by using trolls, influencers, and disinformation to disparage and threaten opponents.
The president's administration has denied this and stated that it does not condone social media harassment.
According to some estimates, the Philippines has one of the largest numbers of smartphone users in Asia, with 79 million of its 110 million people using smartphones, and Filipinos rank first in the world in terms of the amount of time spent on social media and the internet each day.
The "Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act" also mandates all cellular SIM card users to register with carriers.
The measure was hailed by the country's three telecommunications companies, which said it will help prevent crimes such as SMS scams and fraud.
#Facebook #Twitter #SimRegistration
SOURCE: yahoo
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