PNP moves to expand 'informative' social media engagement after Facebook's taking down of pages, accounts

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is aiming to expand "informative" social media engagement which will increase the public's awareness of relevant issues related to public order and safety.

According to PNP spokesman Police Colonel Ysmael Yu on Friday, PNP Director for Police Community Relations Police Major General Dionardo Carlos has announced moves to closely monitor actions taken by police units on netizens' reports through social media platforms.

Carlos said "the PNP policy on social media use seeks to address gaps and challenges encountered in previous memorandum circular on PNP presence in social networking sites."

He cited recent analytics on PNP social media engagements which indicated that only 25% of 1,776 official PNP social media pages are actually active.

“One issue that needs to be addressed is the seemingly reactive and passive stance of some PNP socmed pages that do not actively engage reports by netizens,” he said.

According to Carlos, the policies and guidelines on social media engagement by PNP units and personnel "emphasize on awareness of data privacy and anti-cybercrime laws, and accountability of PNP personnel and units in posting and sharing social media content.”  

"The PNP recognizes the use of social media as an effective tool, especially in this time of pandemic, to promote proactive information and awareness activities while building harmonious relationships with the community," he said.

This move of the police came after Facebook had taken down accounts and pages, allegedly linked to the security forces, due to "coordinated inauthentic behavior."

The PNP already denied owning the fake accounts taken down by the social media giant.

Carlos, moreover, maintained that official social networking pages of PNP units in various social media platforms "strictly adhere to institutional policy on observance of cyber etiquette."

“We will continue to adhere to our institutional policy that follows proper decorum in all public engagements including social media platforms, chat groups, and private sites,” Carlos said.

"Official social networking sites maintained by the PNP and those of our lower units remain compliant with standards and continue to serve its purpose along the objectives," he added.—AOL, GMA News