00:00To the extent of being able to reach a single button,
00:10content on social media platforms is now spreading to the left and right.
00:15Although some of them are far from giving the right information,
00:19there are still many victims of pecking content online
00:23that sometimes ruins lives.
00:27How can we avoid becoming a victim of this?
00:32That's what Ma'am Gonzales, one of us, is talking about in Panata kontra Fake News.
00:57Do you know which one is true and which one is fake?
01:02In a survey conducted by SWS,
01:0451% of Filipinos said that it's hard for them to know what fake news is.
01:10What if the posts that went viral and ruined a person's life are not true?
01:16And what if you are the next victim?
01:22That's what happened to actor Simon Confiado.
01:25In a post by a content creator on Facebook,
01:28he said that he saw the actor in a grocery store.
01:31Mon saw him and beat him up.
01:34Even the cashier shouted at Mon.
01:36And the actor almost didn't pay for the chocolate bars he got.
01:40The post went viral, but all the posts here are fake.
01:45And it really didn't happen.
01:47When Mon confronted the person who posted,
01:49he said that it was just a joke.
01:51A copy-pasta or a copy-paste of a funny post
01:55is not a joke to the reader.
01:58The post didn't go viral,
02:00and there was a post that even insulted me and the Filipinos
02:06who don't know how to accept a 10-year-old joke.
02:10There's no fear that your name and picture will be used without permission
02:15when you will be dragged into an unpleasant situation.
02:20On August 12, Mon filed a cyber-libel complaint against the content creator.
02:25You will say a story that is not true, that is negative,
02:29and when you read it, you will say it's a joke.
02:32So I said, I don't think what's happening on social media is right.
02:36And those fake news are really spreading.
02:41The content creator asked for a dispense.
02:43His social media account is now deactivated.
02:46Even though the chief of the Philippine National Police became a victim of fake news,
02:50the blog spread on social media
02:52that said that the former PNP Chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr.
02:56and AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Browner Jr.
02:59were planning to monitor the government's destabilization.
03:04But the video went viral,
03:06and Acorda blamed the man who spread it.
03:09From January 1 to August 8 this year,
03:12almost 3,800 complaints were received by the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group
03:16that is involved in fake news.
03:20The case, the police said,
03:22there is no particular law that punishes for spreading fake news.
03:26Although it may be a violation of the current law,
03:30like the Anti-Cybercrime Law that punishes for cyber-libel.
03:33It's a bit challenging because we know that the social media
03:37especially Facebook is not in the Philippines.
03:39The law that enforces here is the U.S. law.
03:42So when it comes to false or libelous comments,
03:45Facebook does not honor it.
03:47The best thing to do,
03:49what we always advise to the victims is
03:51to do mass reporting to be noticed by Facebook.
03:56According to the Anti-Disinformation Advocate,
03:58Atty. Jan Jacob,
04:00be careful and watch out for fake news.
04:03You may be responsible for spreading fake news
04:06even if you're not the original source.
04:08Even the original author knows that it's wrong
04:11and he took down the post.
04:13But you saved it and posted it again and again.
04:16So there, it's clear that your defense is gone.
04:19Essentially, I don't know if it's prohibited or bad.
04:23If you're aware that the statement is libelous,
04:27you should be careful.
04:29If you're aware that the statement is libelous,
04:33that's where you could be liable.
04:37Whatever you post on the internet,
04:39it's permanent.
04:40Someone can save or screenshot it.
04:42And the joke you thought was a joke
04:44could have a deeper meaning.
04:46So remember,
04:47we should understand or appreciate
04:51that it's our right to express ourselves online
04:57as much as we have the right to do it offline.
05:00It's our responsibility.
05:04For GMA Integrated News,
05:06Mab Gonzales speaking for 24 Hours.
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