Dear Facebook, you have effectively killed our democracy by turning a blind eye on fake news and troll accounts. Do we need to start our own Facebook ad boycott in the Philippines to get you to listen to us?

We know you don’t care much when you’re still turning profit from our advertising pesos, but tech giants like yourself need to know your place. Stop messing with how the world operates because if the people get angry enough, we could crush you like the bug that you are.

Facebook is Basically a Military-Grade Weapon

Just weeks ago, something crazy jolted me up from the bed, and into a pool of anger. A lot of my friends and I who had graduated from, or studied in the University of the Philippines, woke up to news that gave me absolute goosebumps. Multiple “duplicate” accounts had been created using our names overnight. These accounts had a default profile picture, which was a huge indicator that they were created by trolls. Oh, and what’s worse is, some of these accounts were sending threatening messages to the real users.

Now, some of you might be wondering why it’s such a scary thing. Well, this happened right at the peak of the #JunkTerrorBill movement that forced a lot of zoomers to speak out online against the government and the Anti-Terror Bill.

With how vaguely the ATB could be interpreted, the writing was on the wall: these duplicate accounts could post something incriminating under your name, like pretending to threaten people for example. If they do that, you could easily be thrown in jail without question.

Later on however, we’d realize that it was not just students and alumni from my school who were being targeted. Most of the victims of this cyber identity thefit situation were those who were vocal about their opposition to the Anti-Terror Bill.

There were a lot of theories as to where the data came from.

It could have been from an algorithm that targets people who had used the hashtag “#JunkTerrorBill” in one of their posts. Another theory is how the trolls targeted users who had signed a Change.org petition against the ATB. One thing is for sure though: with how quickly the accounts were being created, Facebook was once again being used as a weapon by the troll farms.

So after that happened, Facebook said no malicious activity happened, and the National Bureau of Investigation claimed it was a glitch. Pretty sure no one who was victimized believed that.

What kind of Black Mirror episode did I just live through?

How Facebook Killed our Democracy

After that whole thing, I decided to watch The Great Hack on Netflix. It’s a great look into how a data analytics company, Cambridge Analytica, had used our Facebook data to skew elections in different countries with the aid of targeted ads. While that might seem like fair game, they planted fake news and intentionally created dissent in these countries to make their client win. Of course for some reason, they decided to side with candidates who were bigots for these elections.

Here’s the kicker. They were a British consulting firm, but had the balls to test out their strategies on developing countries like the Philippines. Then, once they proved their success in these areas, they then decided to take on the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Brexit next.

Like… are they for real? Why do these people think that they can just swoop in and totally change how other countries operate?

We are not your guinea pigs! If you’re going to pull down your zipper and piss all over the plants, do it in your own backyard!

But besides that, the fact that Facebook is doing virtually nothing to regulate political ads, fake news, and troll accounts shows where their allegiance truly lies: their bank account. Having these things unregulated in a social media-heavy country like ours is tantamount to a dead democracy.

If you don’t have facts, you can’t have truth. If you don’t have truth, you don’t have trust. If you don’t have these two things, you don’t have democracy.

Maria Ressa in a 2019 interview with CIGI

So if you’ve been on the political side of the internet for some time now, you’d know how our current government has used Facebook to create chaos. Paid troll armies are the most notorious example, coming to the defense of the president when he is being criticized. As they grow in number, the divide between Duterte’s supporters and detractors just keep getting bigger and bigger by the day.

Which is exactly what they want. And something that Facebook has done nothing about.

July 2020 Facebook Ad Boycott

Since Americans have caught up to Facebook’s role in democracy and elections, lawmakers have been rightfully grilling Zuckerberg for lack of regulation when it comes to fake news. And now that the 2020 U.S. presidential elections are coming up, the anger of the people has been piling up, as Facebook could very well be weaponized to favor a presidential candidate again.

Additionally, the platform has been used to post hateful content against vulnerable communities, primarily those that include BIPOC. They have refused to take down hate-filled comments in relation to recent killings against POC. One such comment was made by President Donald Trump himself, where he encouraged protesters to be shot. Throughout this debacle, Mark Zuckerburg remained silent about the issue, despite a huge backlash from numerous people and groups.

And believe me, this just fueled the fire even more.

As a response to their inaction when it comes to racially-charged comments, a prominent number of big and small advertisers have vowed not to run any Facebook ads in the month of July. Activist groups have been working non-stop for more advertisers to join their call to #StopHateforProfit. Yes, there have been many ad boycotts in the past, but this seems to be the biggest one yet.

Why This Boycott Means Something

Even being a Filipino, you’d be able to recognize names of brands who have agreed to take part in this movement: The North Face, Upwork, Ben & Jerry’s, Rakuten Viber, and probably the biggest fish yet, Verizon Wireless.

To provide context, Facebook was able to to earn a whopping $69.7 billion dollars in 2019, with 46.1% of their 2018 revenue coming from U.S. and Canada alone. From those numbers, you’re probably thinking that this boycott will not do anything in the long run, especially when these brands are planning to resume their ads after July anyway. Great, that’s what other marketers are thinking too.

However, let’s look at the bigger picture.

By participating in the boycott, all these companies are using the reach and influence that they have to spread awareness about Facebook’s problem in addressing racist and discriminatory comments. More than that, these advertisers could very much influence how their customers think and feel. Just by explaining why they refuse to run ads for July, they are already educating people on how dangerous the tech giant could truly be.

As this continues to gain steam, the activist groups and brands who joined the boycott have already made a statement. And now that more advertisers are taking part, this story has continued to gain momentum throughout media and news outlets. The best part is almost all of their content gives context on why this boycott is happening in the first place: Facebook’s inaction towards racially-charged comments. While this won’t put a dent in Facebook’s revenue numbers, this movement has been chipping away at their credibility and reputation.

Plus, the public pressure is probably weighing heavily on Mr. Robot right now. If he’ll finally cave in, we will have to wait and see.

Why We Need a Facebook Ad Boycott in the Philippines

What that in mind, imagine if all the big and small local advertisers could come together to create a Facebook ad boycott in the Philippines. We even have our own, extremely valid concern to rationalize this: the weaponization of Facebook against free speech.

Imagine if the likes of P&G, Unilever, and Jollibee Foods Corporation would actually take a stand against disinformation, troll armies, clone accounts, and other shenanigans, by not running any Facebook ads for a certain time.

Having an ad boycott would be a big step in taking back our virtually-dead democracy that we worked so hard to earn. It’s probably true that the advertising revenue from the Philippines is barely a blip in Facebook’s radar, but a movement like this has a ton of potential to create awareness and educate the masses. Media outlets from all over the world and the country would pick it up and help impart our message about responsible regulation of online platforms.

Then, we could inspire the people and truly make a change. Now that’s what I call a power move.

Unfortunately, this all seems like an unreachable and unrealistic dream.

If someone does start a Facebook ad boycott in the Philippines, we’d probably just have other companies taking advantage of the lighter competition on the platform. I also presume that the gesture wouldn’t be appreciated as much as in the U.S., as most of the population haven’t realized the impact of Facebook has had in our democracy yet. Even so, realistically speaking, the big advertisers here don’t have the guts to take part in something as small as a Facebook ad boycott. I’d literally have to see it to believe it.

But hey, we can always stay hopeful that advertisers will be able to realize that they play a much bigger role in society than they’d like to think. Someday, I know that citizens and advertisers alike can put our differences, fear, and greed aside to slay the Facebook dragon once and for all.

Want to hear more hot takes from zoomers like this one? Take a look at our opinion articles here.

Featured Image: Thought Catalog

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Apparently, there are some things that are more important than a deadly virus with no cure. It’s just corona after all. To say that the average Filipino has been completely disappointed with how coronavirus in the Philippines has been addressed is an understatement. It’s become the “new normal” to wake up every morning to bad news. And BTW, we are far, far away from flattening the curve.

1. Anti-Terror Bill

Let’s get right into this controversial item. For some reason, a bill that threatens the very foundation of our democracy was certified urgent by the President himself… during a pandemic? Despite numerous reassurances that it won’t be weaponized to silence critics and dissenters, we don’t have to look back too far from history to see where this is going. When countless lawyers themselves have stated why this is problematic, then you know something’s wrong.

2. Shutting Down ABS-CBN

In a country where not a lot of people have access to the internet, free TV reigns supreme. Which is why it is particularly concerning when one of the only two major television networks in the country was shut down under shaky grounds. ABS-CBN has been accused of siding against the government, which is why we can’t help but raise an eyebrow with this decision. The hearings to get the network back on-air are still ongoing, but honestly, it’s pretty stressful to watch.

UPDATE (06/30/2020): Today, the National Telecommunications Commission has also issued a cease and desist order against Sky Direct and their TV Plus Channels. Press freedom whomst’ve?

3. Convicting Maria Ressa

Another press freedom issue in the Philippines is the arrest of reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr., and Maria Ressa, CEO of online media platform Rappler. In a high-profile case that was filed on the basis of a technicality (a typo!), the message was sent loud and clear. If you dare criticize the leaders, everything will be done to put you in jail.

4. Arresting Normal Citizens

In a bizarre turn of events, Ronnel Mas, a teacher from Zambales, was arrested for threatening President Rodrigo Duterte in an online post. Mas jokingly offered ₱50 million to the person who would kill the President. Later, he was arrested on charges for inciting sedition. In Cebu, members of progressive and youth groups were arrested for protesting against the Anti-Terror Bill. The internet blew up with fury, demanding justice for these arrests using the #ReleaseCebu7 hashtag. Six jeepney drivers were also arrested for staging a peaceful protest in Caloocan for simply asking the jeepneys to continue operation. All of these things happened while NCR Police Office Chief Major General Debold Sinas came off unscathed for holding a birthday bash with other policemen and definitely not observing quarantine protocols.

UPDATE (06/30/2020): We can now add #FreePride20 to the list. LGBTQ Filipinos staged a protest for Pride while observing social distancing, but got arrested for literally no valid reason.

5. Removing Jeepneys

Okay some may call this a reach, but for some reason, the government has always had it out for our jeepneys, or jeeps. This prominent mode of public transportation for Filipinos has been noticeably missing in the vehicles allowed to run during general community quarantine (GCQ). Despite there being ways to avoid virus transmission in jeepneys, they are still not here. Here is a great article that tells us about the issue of jeep/jeepney phaseout that threatens the jobs of many drivers.

6. Improving Infrastructure

Despite national debt being at an all-time high, we continue to take loans from other countries. And with a lack of transparency on where all this money is going, we are hesitant to believe that it’s meant to address the pandemic. Just days ago, we signed new loans from Japan to build roads and bridges. Even if they are an investment for the future, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth knowing how deep we are in debt with little to no solutions that address the pandemic.

7. Collecting Tax from Everybody and their Mothers, except POGOs

POGO is short for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator, which refers to an online gambling company catered to foreigners, but operates in the country. While Filipinos only make up very little of their workforce, they owe ₱50 billion in unpaid taxes. Yet, the government does not want to go after them, and instead, wants to impose a “Netflix tax” law instead.

And netizens had quite the scare a week ago when the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) released a memorandum that everyone who sells online had to have their business registered for tax purposes. To give them credit, they have made the registration process easier and clarified that you don’t have to pay tax if you’re not earning ₱250K a year. Maybe don’t encourage people to go out in this pandemic to have their online businesses registered first, though?

And again, where are all the country’s loans going to?!

8. Creating Fake Facebook Accounts to Plant Evidence

It’s no secret that there are troll farms or troll armies in the Philippines. They are literally paid to praise the government and fight dissenters online. So imagine everyone’s shock when a lot of Anti-Terror Bill critics woke up to new Facebook accounts being made under their name. With how vague the bill is, these trolls can post a threatening message under your name to get you arrested! Yes, the victims of this cyber attack were mostly people who spoke up against the bill online.

With how quickly these accounts spread, there’s no question that this had funding behind it. Facebook, you have a lot of explaining to do.

So if you’re wondering why we still can’t beat the curve despite having one of the strictest and longest lockdown periods in the world (without mass testing), here’s your answer. Maybe coronavirus was the perfect excuse to do things they wouldn’t have gotten away with before. And if I wanted to stay in power so badly, why would I want to beat COVID-19?

Featured Image: Marfil Graganza Aquino on Pexels

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