Duterte ally seeks Philippine senate probe on Facebook 'censorship'

MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - A Philippine senator on Friday
sought an inquiry into what he described as "censorship" by
Facebook after the social media giant took down a network of
accounts it said were inauthentic including one the government
supports.
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who is an ally of President
Rodrigo Duterte, filed a resolution calling for a probe just
days after the presidential office accused Facebook of censoring
pro-government content.
"There is an urgent need for the senate to investigate the
censorship done by Facebook considering that it affects not only
peace and order, and security of our country, but likewise
greatly affects every Filipino's freedom of expression," Dela
Rosa said in a resolution.
Duterte, whose allies dominate both the upper and lower
chambers of congress, has created a powerful support base on
social media platforms like Facebook, which was instrumental in
his election victory in 2016.
Facebook last week dismantled a network of accounts that
originated from China and the Philippines for engaging in
"coordinated inauthentic behaviour", including one that Manila
says it supports for its anti-communism stance. Duterte responded by warning Facebook that it should explain
what its purpose is in his country if it wants to continue to
operate. Dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the chief enforcer
of Duterte's bloody anti-narcotics crackdown, said Facebook
engaged in a "censorship campaign" against an advocacy group
fighting the recruitment of communist rebels, hampering efforts
to prevent the spread of violent extremism.
A Facebook official said it did not have further comment
after last week's statement on removing accounts.
Filipinos are avid social media users with two-thirds of the
country's 107 million people Facebook users and such platforms
now a political battleground.
Critics said the Duterte administration has allowed the
abuse and manipulation of social media by its supporters, claims
the government denies.