Filipino journalist’s Facebook account hacked

MANILA, Philippines – Oplan Cyber Tokhang at work?

The Facebook page of Filipino journalist Manny Mogato, who works for Reuters, was hacked on Thursday, December 8. His cover photo was changed into the cover photo used by pro-Duterte Facebook page “Duterte is my President.” 

Celebrity blogger Mocha Uson‘s profile photo was also used in Mogato’s account.

It is still unclear who or which group is responsible for the hacking. Rappler also tried to reach Mogato for comment but he has yet to respond.

Mogato isn’t new to harassment online. He faced criticism and threats earlier this year along with fellow Reuters journalist Karen Lerma after they reported on President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial comments about Adolf Hitler.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines condemned those online attacks, saying critics had “gone beyond legitimate criticism of [the journalists’] professional output to outright threats on their persons.”

Earlier this month, Rappler reported about a Facebook group called the “Duterte Cyber Warriors,” which is behind a plan dubbed Oplan Cyber Tokhang.

Their main purpose is to “attack” those who are “spreading false information” online by reporting them en masse (“mass reporting”) so the targets’ social media accounts would get suspended. The targets were apparently those critical of the Duterte administration.

The “Duterte Cyber Warriors” also conduct “special ops” such as hacking and social engineering. – Rappler.com