Counterbalance against disinformation | Sonny M. Angara

Over the past decades we have seen exponential growth in the use of technology and therefore the amount of information that is at people’s fingertips. A while ago, the amount of content an individual could consume depended on his or her ability to pay for an Internet subscription, which was very expensive at the time. Now access to the Internet has become easier and cheaper. All you need is a smartphone and a minimum amount of money to use your favorite social media apps.

This easy access to the internet and the widespread use of social media in the Philippines have also created their own problems. Chief among these is misinformation that has become widespread on all popular social media platforms.

Many of us are now aware of disinformation as a serious problem that can impact different segments of society. During elections, there is an increased awareness of disinformation because of the way different groups of people have used it to promote or defame certain candidates.

We have yet to see definitive data on how the spread of misinformation affects the polls, but the matter has become serious enough to attract the attention of our Commission on Elections (Comelec). Comelec Chairman George Garcia has even ordered a unit of the poll body to investigate the use of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology so that their use in the 2025 elections is no longer banned. The technology is now such that groups can use AI to mimic personalities to deceive the public.

Disinformation has also emerged in international politics. A rather disturbing report recently emerged about how, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the US military implemented a secret program to spread fear over the use of the Chinese-developed Sinovac vaccine. Using fake accounts on social media apps, the said program involved pushing out localized content in several jurisdictions, including the Philippines, about China being the source of Covid and how people should not trust the efficacy of its own vaccine. It also reinforced a controversial claim that vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin and as such, the use of the Chinese-made vaccine on Muslims is prohibited under Islamic law.

Another report detailed how Chinese users and social media platforms were involved in spreading false news about an alleged civil war in the Philippines due to the policies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with regard to the West Philippine Sea. The anonymous stories on Chinese social media amplified statements by officials of the previous government calling for Mindanao’s independence. These two separate developments show how social media and the digital world have already become a new battleground and arena for geopolitics.

Currently, 50 to 83 percent of the population has access to the Internet. This concerns both fixed and mobile internet users throughout the country. According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Philippines is among the top, if not the top, list of countries when it comes to the use of the Internet. Filipinos are also above average when it comes to the time they spend on social media apps. This makes me wonder how much of the Filipinos’ internet use is actually for productive purposes.

These issues underline the need to equip our people with the right skills and competencies. Below the current 19^e In Congress, we have pushed for the passage of a National Digital Transformation Act that aims to equip our people with the necessary digital skills. Today, it is crucial that individuals have digital skills to create better employment opportunities and become more productive in activities such as freelance work. Senate Bill No. 625 seeks to institutionalize a National Digital Transformation Strategy and a National Skills Development Strategy to ensure that every Filipino better understands Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and develops the necessary skills to apply ICT in their daily lives. Such skills initiatives should include good media literacy and other programs to combat disinformation. Only by becoming more aware of what is true and false can we better stop the spread of misinformation and protect ourselves from being deceived and exploited.

Senator Sonny Angara has spent 20 years in public service: nine years representing the Lone District of Aurora and 11 years as a state senator. He is the author, co-author and sponsor of more than 330 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.

E-mail: [email protected]| Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @sonnyangara

Sonny M. Angara