A member of the Iloilo City Council on Wednesday, April 23, expressed alarm over the proliferation of false information, especially this election season, as well as online scams and digital fraud.
In his privilege speech titled “Cybercrimes and False Information: An Urgent Call to combat Cybercrimes and Spread of False Information” delivered during the SP regular session, Councilor Romel Duron said he is hoping that the council could come up with a resolution urging Congress to pass a law addressing the proliferation of false information.
“We live in very fast-moving lifestyles. The digital platforms make things easy and highly efficient, but criminals have become sophisticated in deceiving the public,” he said.
Duron said no less than Mayor Jerry Treñas has complained of fake news several times.
“What he says in the media is being spliced, and the message is different. It appears that the mayor says one thing, but the news comes out differently. There are people who make fun of this social media because they remain free to do what they are doing, spreading disinformation,” he said.
Duron said his Facebook account has also been hacked several times.
He urged social media users to verify information “if it is genuine or not because there is a lot of misinformation [and] disinformation. I was alarmed because it is no less than the mayor already is complaining.”
Duron also cited the need for concerned government agencies to come up with a common stand on the issue.PNA
