AFP, PNP downplay Facebook purging

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday insisted they continue to abide by the rules on social media use and promote proper decorum and cyber etiquette in all their engagements on all online platforms.

This, after Facebook announced its recent purging of accounts with alleged links to the military and police over “inauthentic behavior” with regards to posts related to domestic politics, military activities against terrorism, anti-terrorism bill, criticism of communism, youth activists and opposition, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed unit the New People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).”

AFP spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said they are now looking into the matter and assured all the military’s official social media accounts are “up and running.”

“We in the AFP are looking at that report by Facebook in removing certain accounts and posts in its platform. In so far as the AFP is concerned, there are no accounts that the AFP maintain that were shutdown or removed by Facebook. All of them are up and running,” Arevalo said in a statement.

“The AFP upholds truth and accountability of network and SocMed account managers as to the contents of postings in our websites, pages and accounts,” he added.

We in the AFP are looking at that report by Facebook in removing certain accounts and posts in its platform.

Facebook’s Head of Security Policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, disclosed in a webinar that they have taken down accounts, pages, and profiles on Facebook and Instagram with supposed links to the AFP and PNP.

Gleicher, however, did not reveal up to what extent the reported level of involvement the military and police has with the deleted accounts, some of whose activities were traced in China.

The PNP, meanwhile, maintained that all of its official accounts on Facebook and other social media platforms are compliant and will continue to adhere to follow policies concerning representations made on behalf of the organization online.

“We recognize social media as an effective tool that technology can offer, especially at this period of health emergency, to establish proactive information, and awareness activities as well as to build harmonious relationships with the community. As far as we are concerned, official Facebook pages of the PNP and those of our lower units remain compliant with standards and continue to serve its purpose along these objectives,” acting PNP spokesperson PCol. Ysmael Yu said in a separate statement.

All comments and opinions of individual personnel, associations, and sectoral groups on matters that are not related to the organization’s activities “are hereby disowned by the PNP as unofficial and unauthorized,” Yu added, and that the PNP respects “the administrative action taken by Facebook on what they perceive to be violations of its terms of use.”