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Applicants flock to the COMELEC office in Quezon City on September 30, 2024, the last day of voter registration. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file

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Comelec

Willard Cheng

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Social media platforms on Monday pledged their support to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to take action and combat misinformation and disinformation in relation to the May 2025 national and local elections and the BARMM parliamentary elections.Representatives of Meta, Google, and Tiktok signed a pledge of support in the presence of Comelec chairman George Garcia and Commissioner Nelson Celis, who is commissioner in charge of the Comelec’s Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan, at Katarungan sa Halaan (TFK3H).Celis said other tech companies have also expressed intention to support the pledge.Nixon David, Public Policy Manager of Meta (Facebook) Philippines, said the platform commits “to identify and stop emerging threats and by limiting the spread of misinformation” and combat harmful content as it constantly reviews tools to make the platform safe.“Meta is working hard to protect the integrity of thr Philippines’ election by combatting harmful content, working with civil society organizations to identify and stop emerging threats and by limiting the spread of misinformation,” David said.Yves Gonzalez, Government Affairs and Public Policy Head of Google Philippines, said Google is committed to prevent the spread of misinformation and foreign interference in elections.He added YouTube implements community standards as well to prevent harmful content.“Google is committed to combating the spread of misinformation which can undermine trust in the electoral process. Our efforts include partnering with fact checkers and journalists to debunk false claims and promote accurate election related information,” Gonzalez said.“Protecting elections from interference is a top priority for Google. We work closely with election officials, civil society, cybersecurity experts to safeguard against threats such as hacking and foreign interference,” he added.Peachy Paderna, Public Policy Manager of Tiktok Philippines, said the platform implements policies on the removal of misinformation and bans paid political advertising to ensure a positive environmen.But Paderna adds Tiktok users are free to discuss candidates and political issues.“To ensure the safety of Filipino voters and the integrity of our platform during elections, we enforce strong policies that make TikTok for lively civic discussions and prevent bad actors from compromising the integrity of the election process in the Philippines,” Paderna said.TikTok, she said, prohibits political advertising, paid political promotion, and fund raising by politicians and political parties on the platform.“We do this so we can foster and promote an environment that brings people together through positive dialogue, not divide them,” Paderna said.Google, Gonzalez said, bans political ads during the regulated period. Meta meanwhile allows political ads but David said it has integrity measures in place as well as an ads library that contains details such as the cost of ads. Comelec chair George Garcia reminded candidates to register their social media accounts to enable the poll body to monitor their accounts.Celis said supporters and influencers that support candidates are also expected to register their social media accounts with their ads to be counted as part of a candidate’s expenses.So far, the Comelec has received registrations of social media accounts from 62 aspirants. They have until December 13 to register.“Yung mga influencers, paparehistro din nila ang mga account nila, pati sa Meta because we will also consider that as expenditure ng politician or kandidato so we’re not only talking about the politician but also their influencers and supporters. So napakimportante po nun, malinaw po yun, lahat po sila dapat magpaparehistro. They have to register, all their respective accounts. Nobody will be exempted in this regard,” Celis said.<div>The full list of the 11 commitments follows:</div><div>Planning and Partnership</div>﻿﻿Commitment 1: Determine priority resources across many global elections by taking into account a holistic set of considerations.﻿﻿Commitment 2: Consult with global civil society as necessary and appropriate.﻿﻿Commitment 3: Establish and disseminate clear policies and processes regarding election-related content, activities, civil unrest, and violence.﻿﻿Commitment 4: Centralize information about the resources that are available and relevant to election authorities and other stakeholders.﻿﻿Commitment 5: Establish planning processes that take into account election authorities&#x27; timelines and capacity.<div>Elections Operations</div>﻿﻿Commitment 6: Enable access to authoritative election and voter information when appropriate.﻿﻿Commitment 7: Establish a strategy to take action on misinformation and disinformation about electoral participation.﻿﻿Commitment 8: Establish and make available communication channels for election authorities.﻿﻿Commitment 9: Publicly provide information on paid political and/or paid election content.Post-Election Period and Research Support-﻿﻿Commitment 10: Maintain appropriate coordination mechanisms and operations beyond the immediate election period.﻿﻿Commitment 11: Support engagement with election stakeholders.The Comelec last week said it is addressing concerns on the possible prevalent use of AI technology in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.The poll body has also issued Comelec Resolution 11064 that introduces strict rules on the use of social media, artificial intelligence, and internet technologies for digital campaigns for the 2025 national and local elections and the BARMM parliamentary elections, he said.

Comelec said other tech companies have also expressed intention to support the pledge.

Comelec said other tech companies have also expressed intention to support the pledge.

Social media platforms vow to support Comelec fight vs disinformation

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Social media platforms vow to support Comelec fight vs disinformation

Willard Cheng,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 21, 2024 06:45 PM PHT

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