Bayan Muna expresses concern over one person-one Facebook account proposal vs. trolls

Bayan Muna Representative Ferdinand Gaite on Wednesday expressed concern over proposals to limit Facebook accounts to one per individual, citing data privacy issues.

In a statement, Gaite said it would be difficult to implement the restriction "without violating the data privacy" of social media users.

"Facebook already tracks and restricts accounts engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior or troll operations as we've seen in the take down of several accounts linked to the security sector and those based in China meddling in our local politics," Gaite said.

Gaite said Facebook should instead focus on stopping troll farms that are being funded by the government.

Malacanang has denied the government's involvement in the operation of troll farms.

"These troll farms which are being secretly operated and funded through our taxes clearly violate laws and should be stopped," Gaite said.

"Sa halip na pagdiskitahan ang publiko, tutukan dapat ang pagsawata sa troll farms ng rehimeng Duterte na ginagamit nito sa pag-atake sa ating demokrasya," he added.

[Instead of going after the general public, let's focus on stopping the troll farms of Duterte regime that are using these to attack our democracy.]

Senate President Tito Sotto has said in a television interview that he backed proposals to limit Facebook accounts to just one for every person. 

The Senate President had previously called the attention of Facebook to act on the proliferation of troll farms in the social media platform.

It can also be recalled that Senator Panfilo Lacson divulged about an undersecretary who is organizing at least two troll farms to attack government critics and possible candidates running against the pro-administration in the 2022 polls. —Consuelo Marquez/NB, GMA News