MANILA , Philippines — Representative Sarah Elago faces a daily barrage of Facebook posts linking her to communist rebels trying to overthrow the government. She says the claims are false, but they could get her killed anyway.
A torrent of misinformation on the social media platform has put activists, journalists, politicians and lawyers in the firing line as President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and military out alleged supporters of a decades-old Maoist insurgency.
Facebook’s reach into the smartphones used by millions of Filipinos has made it a powerful weapon in amplifying the accusations — known locally as “red-tagging” — which critics say are part of a broader effort…
Keep on reading: Philippine critics in firing line of anti-communist misinformation war