Who decides what is fake news? Philippine Bill puts power in state’s hands

A legislative Bill that its authors say will curb online disinformation while protecting the press has cleared the Philippines’ House of Representatives and is now before the Senate.



But the journalists and researchers who have spent years documenting disinformation are asking lawmakers to toss the measure.



House Bill No. 9465, the Digital Media Anti-False Information Act, was passed in June by 286 votes to three. Its lead author is House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, the eldest son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who in February asked Congress to prioritise a Bill against disinformation as long as it was “balanced”.



Under the Bill, anyone convicted of knowingly creating, financing, directing or materially assisting false information intended to cause verifiable public harm or a serious threat to national security faces six to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $32,800.



Undisclosed artificial intelligence-generated images, videos and audio are also covered.