Comelec to work with Facebook, Twitter for verification of Eleksyon 2022 bets accounts

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will also work with social media platforms Facebook and Twitter for the verification of Eleksyon 2022 candidates’ accounts.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez confirmed this after he announced over the weekend that the poll body will be teaming up with YouTube to verify candidates’ official channels for the 2022 national and local elections.

“Yes, we are working with Facebook and Twitter and with of course, Google, which is the parent company [of] YouTube,” he said in an ANC interview.

Jimenez said Comelec does not see this rule as “inequitable,” explaining that this is part of the poll body’s steps to fight disinformation and misinformation.

“As it is, we don’t see this as inequitable again because we are looking at a very specific class of people, [the] official candidates, and there is a very real need for us to start to grapple with the problem of fake news and misleading info and these are the steps that lead us in that direction,” he said.

“We think that it would provide the public a trusted, credible source of information when we have this sort of verification…What we are doing is we’re helping people by giving them at least one credible source and that is the verified account for the candidate,” he added.

He said those who oppose this regulation may write Comelec to seek for its review.

Jimenez earlier explained that having the candidates’ accounts verified would improve accountability, but would not automatically mean that they are telling the truth.

Google announcement

On December 1, Google announced that it would temporarily stop accepting election-related advertisements, saying this would help prevent online trolls from misleading the public.

The tech giant said it will instead focus on election-related activities that “aim to help people access useful and accurate information via product features and media literacy programs, encourage participation in the voting process, and help protect the integrity of the elections.”

Google also said that it is working with the Comelec on several initiatives, such as the voter registration campaign hosted on Google Cloud. — RSJ, GMA News

Comelec to work with Facebook, Twitter for verification of Eleksyon 2022 bets accounts
Source: Filipino Viral News PH