How fake news could influence an election

Social media is undoubtedly a powerful tool, but it is also used as a weapon for disinformation.

A special report by Atom Araullo delves into how fake news could affect an election.

"Hindi lang siya game-changer in the sense na it's the main driver of an electoral victory," said Jose Mari Lanuva from the University of the Philippines Department of Social Sciences. "Game-changer siya in the sense na we have two elections to see a viable option na ito and na established tool na ang social media."

The Philippines was previously called by a Facebook executive as "patient zero" in the so-called "global misinformation pandemic." This means that the Philippines was where disinformation operation was first witnessed in all the world — specifically during the 2016 election.

How does it work?

Citing a study done by the UP Department of Political Science, the report said that fake news campaigns start with politicians, who hire chief disinformation architects. The architects then tap social media influencers who have big followings, and their engagements are boosted by fake account operators or "troll farms."

Lanuva said that in Facebook, closed groups are utilized for such campaigns.

"Facebook can take down public posts, can shut down public pages, accounts, but they can't really moderate events inside closed groups," he said.

Just this April, 400 Facebook groups and accounts were taken down because they violated policies involving bullying, harassment, hate speech, misinformation, and incitement to violence.

It's those who spend too much time on social media who are really susceptible to fake news, the report added. This spells trouble for the Philippines, as according to a report on We Are Social in 2021, Filipinos spend an average of four hours on social media every day, the highest rate around the world.

"Once you rely on social media for political information, sila rin po talaga sila 'yung talagang nabibiktima ng fake news, but at the same time, polarized din ang kanilang isipan pagdating sa politika," said Ateneo School of Government Professor Imelda Deinla, PhD.

"'Yung findings namin, it's even worse, talagang 'yung psychological impact niya is beyond confirmation bias. Kahit nga 'yung mga news na hindi pabor sa kanila, hindi pa rin nila ma-determine kung fake or true," she added.

In 2019, the Senate introduced the "Anti-False Content Bill," an act prohibiting the publication and proliferation of false content on the Philippine internet.

If passed, it would penalize perpetrators by jailing them or fining them an amount of P200,000 up to P2 million.

Lanuva said that for now, all we can do is exercise caution when it comes to fake news.

"That's really all we can do, mag-ingat tayo na wag mag-share, mag-correct tayo ng ma-encounter natin na fake news, wag natin i-amplify ang fake news," he said. —JCB, GMA News