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DPA
Manila
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned social media giant Facebook that it should be wary of blocking accounts that promote government messages following the shutdown of more than 100 accounts linked to the military and police.
In a late-night televised address to the public, Duterte said he does not understand the point of Facebook’s operations in the Philippines if it will not help the government in protecting the national interest.
“What would be the point of allowing you to continue [operating in the country] if you cannot help us,” he said. “Tell me, why can’t I use [Facebook] for the good of the public? If government cannot use [Facebook] for the good of the people, then we have to talk.” “If you cannot help me protect government interest, then let us talk,” he added. “We may or we many not find a solution. If we cannot, them I’m sorry.” Last week, Facebook removed 57 Facebook accounts, 31 pages, and 20 Instagram accounts that were attributed to the Philippine military and police for allegedly misleading the public about who operates them and what they do.
The affected sites had more than 276,000 followers on Facebook and 55,000 on Instagram. Their content was mostly critical of the political opposition, communism and activist groups in the Philippines, and were supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The military and police distanced themselves from the accounts, saying all their official pages were up and running. But the army later acknowledged that at least one of the accounts against communist rebels was maintained by a local unit.
Manila
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned social media giant Facebook that it should be wary of blocking accounts that promote government messages following the shutdown of more than 100 accounts linked to the military and police.
In a late-night televised address to the public, Duterte said he does not understand the point of Facebook’s operations in the Philippines if it will not help the government in protecting the national interest.
“What would be the point of allowing you to continue [operating in the country] if you cannot help us,” he said. “Tell me, why can’t I use [Facebook] for the good of the public? If government cannot use [Facebook] for the good of the people, then we have to talk.” “If you cannot help me protect government interest, then let us talk,” he added. “We may or we many not find a solution. If we cannot, them I’m sorry.” Last week, Facebook removed 57 Facebook accounts, 31 pages, and 20 Instagram accounts that were attributed to the Philippine military and police for allegedly misleading the public about who operates them and what they do.
The affected sites had more than 276,000 followers on Facebook and 55,000 on Instagram. Their content was mostly critical of the political opposition, communism and activist groups in the Philippines, and were supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The military and police distanced themselves from the accounts, saying all their official pages were up and running. But the army later acknowledged that at least one of the accounts against communist rebels was maintained by a local unit.
