MANILA, Philippines, Feb 3 – Philippine lawmakers have filed legislation to mandatory registration of legal identities and phone numbers by social media users when opening new accounts, according to a senator on Thursday, in an endeavor to combat online harassment and misleading information.
For a country known for online trolling, disinformation, and the use of anonymous social media accounts, the bill was an attempt by legislators in obliging users to divulge facts that would allow them to be tracked.
The bill was proceeded by the lower house and senate but still needs presidential assent. “It is our little contribution to fight the anonymity that provides the environment for trolls and other malicious attacks to thrive in the age of social media,” Senator Franklin Drilon said, one of the measure’s author. “This new provision will prevent anyone from making anonymous accounts online so they could attack anyone endlessly and viciously,” he added.
The bill did not specify how social media companies would determine whether a name or phone number used to register an account was fraudulent. For giving incorrect information, the offenders will stipulate jail time or hefty fine or both.
Twitter and Facebook in the Philippines have been pressed to battle fake news and accounts, primarily in relation to politics. Meanwhile, Facebook and Twitter refused to leave a comment on the bill.
This is prior to the general election in May, in which a president, legislators, and thousands of political positions will be seated, expecting social media to be a crucial campaign battleground.
Rodrigo Duterte was propelled to the presidency in 2016 by a well-organized social media campaign where his critics claimed he only reigned authority through his supporters by using trolls, influencers, and misinformation to undermine and jeopardize his oppositions, hence, refuted by the president’s office.
Base on a research, the Philippines has one of Asia’s biggest smartphone populations, with 79 million of its 110 million people, and Filipinos spend the most time on social media and the internet each day.
Further, all cellular SIM cards should be registered with operators in compliance with the “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act”.
The fact that the bill will help prevent crimes including text scams and fraud was acceded by the country’s three telecoms companies.
Source: Reuters