MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Just days after the controversial anti-terror bill was passed in Congress, Facebook began its crackdown on several #JunkTerrorBill posts.
The bill has been passed by the Senate and the House. Both chambers will just need to ratify the final version before sending it to President Rodrigo Duterte for his signature.
Duterte himself also certified the bill as urgent.
Netizens and organizations alike took to social media to slam the bill’s passing, but not without a few hurdles posed by Facebook’s community standards.
A number of Filipinos shared a specific carrd.co link which included information about several movements, including #JunkTerrorBill. Facebook was quick to tag such posts as spam, leading many Filipinos to take their complaints to Twitter.
wtf @Facebook ??!
yesterday, I posted this link containing information on the Anti-Terror Bill and the black lives movement in US. and just this morning, it was tagged as “SPAM” by facebook. come on! #JUNKTERROBILLNOW #JunkTerrorBill #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/VoMEcYFl8E
What part of sharing petitions of movements that have good aims is against Facebook community standards? How low and unjust are their standards? #JUNKTERRORBILLNOW #BlackLivesMatter #NoStudentLeftBehind #SaveLumadSchools #MassTestingNowPH pic.twitter.com/Wo0MCVGB59
facebook has been taking down posts and blocking messages related to the #junkterrorbill movement and similar causes. please continue to share these links anyway!
— ↺ (@jaemjens) June 4, 2020
↳ https://t.co/VYpIgNSx3U
↳ https://t.co/BCYJSLUWTJ pic.twitter.com/rZILMFHmUN
my post on facebook regarding the terror bill, lumad schools, and blm got removed?? luh nagsisimula na yung pananahimik
#JunkTerrorBilllNow #JunkTerrorBill pic.twitter.com/YJxrMRJm6N
Is it just me? Or Facebook going full rouge that it tagged this post as a spam? Can anybody help?? @Facebook
Still…#JunkTerrorBill #MassTestingNowPH #OustYouKnowWho #ActivismIsNotTerrorism pic.twitter.com/ZyA054OJEb
Facebook is really out there doing their bidding for authoritarian regimes and yet blocking #JunkTerrorBill information campaigns. pic.twitter.com/fGctSnoHT5
Other Filipinos who posted artwork denouncing the bill also had their Facebook posts tagged as spam.
YO FAM FACEBOOK KEEPS DELETING MY COMIC IDK WHY
(if this is still a happening tom alam na…also I'm smol don't pick on me jesus)#JUNKTERRORBILLNOW #JunkTerrorBill #JunkTerrorBilllNow pic.twitter.com/wyDZv8EZ8R
‘Error’ in automated system – Facebook
Facebook reached out to Rappler and clarified the crackdown of the posts was linked to an “error with [their] automated system,” which was designed to remove links to abusive websites. The company also said they restored the posts that were incorrectly removed.
Facebook previously ran into controversies regarding moderating political posts on the platform. Most recently, CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company’s decision not to interfere with posts by US President Donald Trump. (READ: Facebook’s problems can’t be solved by more Facebook)
Read more about the #JunkTerrorBill petition here. – Rappler.com
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