Content Moderation Case Study: Facebook Targets Misinformation Spread By The Philippines Government (2020)

Content Moderation Case Study: Facebook Targets Misinformation Spread By The Philippines Government (2020)

3 years ago
Anonymous $y15ULlV7sG

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210122/15111146106/content-moderation-case-study-facebook-targets-misinformation-spread-philippines-government-2020.shtml

Summary: Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte's rise to power was greatly aided by Facebook and its overwhelming popularity within the country. An estimated 97% of Filipinos have Facebook accounts and the company itself co-sponsored a Q&A session with local journalists that was broadcast on 200 radio and television stations and livestreamed on the platform. Questions were crowdsourced from Facebook users, helping propel the mayor of Davao to the highest office in the country.

Duterte's run for office was also directly assisted by Facebook, which flew a team of reps in to help the candidate's campaign staff maximize the platform's potential. As his campaign gathered critical mass, he and his team began weaponizing the tools handed to him by Facebook, spreading misinformation about other candidates and directly targeting opponents and their supporters with harassment and threats of violence.