Filipinos warned on high risk websites

MANILA, Philippines — An official of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) yesterday warned Filipino internet users of the dangers of visiting so-called “high risk” websites following the purge of over 100 Facebook accounts and pages, which supposedly belong to a “spam network.”

In a phone interview with The STAR, NPC complaints and investigation division chief Francis Euston Acero reminded internet users to ensure the legitimacy of the websites that they visit to minimize privacy risks. 

“There are certain websites that if you click and you are not protected, it could install (malware), hijack the browser and steal passwords and other information,” Acero said.

“Your computers may be infected that you would not be able to stop pop-up advertisements,” he added.

Facebook on Tuesday took down 95 pages and 39 accounts for encouraging people to visit low quality websites that contain little substantive content and are full of disruptive advertisements. 

The company said the network violated rules against inauthentic behavior, which involves using multiple accounts to mislead people into liking, sharing and visiting content off the social media platform. 

“These pages ranged from political to entertainment content, but all were sharing links to the same advertising click farms off Facebook,” said the company.

“We’re monitoring a range of abuses on Facebook, including spam behavior, and will remove any account or page that breaks our rules,” it added.

Acero said they would not be able to determine the risks of the websites involved in the recent Facebook takedown as the company did not disclose the specific content that were flagged. 

According to the NPC official, Filipino internet users should be warned against risks that come with visiting questionable pages. 

He noted instances when individuals fall prey to phishing activities, including those whose personal information were stolen because they entered it in a page masquerading as a legitimate website. 

“You should know the link... Make sure that you visit a legitimate website,” he said. 

For those who may have visited these high-risk websites, Acero recommended that users install anti-virus software and scan their systems. 

He also recommended regularly changing passwords and using multi-factor authentication, especially in financial transactions. 

NPC chairman Raymund Liboro said the recent takedown of Facebook pages was beyond the mandate of the agency. 

“Everyone must remember that Facebook remains to be a private company with its own rules,” he said. 

“But it has complaints mechanisms, too, so I suppose the affected accounts can raise the matter with Facebook,” Liboro added. 

The social media company did not release the full list of the removed Facebook accounts. But examples cited included those that target supporters of President Duterte and Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos such as Duterte Media, Duterte sa Pagbabago Bukas, DDS, Duterte Phenomenon and Manang Imee.

Also removed were accounts using names and images of popular celebrities as well as more generic “news” pages such as News Media Trends and Pilipinas Daily News.

Facebook noted that the takedown was not political but due to a violation of its community standards that aim to build trust between networks. 

An official of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) slammed Facebook and fact checkers Vera Files and Rappler over the purging of accounts supportive of President Duterte.

“What happens here is that they (Facebook) tapped an obviously partisan content provider to judge contents. How could you expect a semblance of balance if that is the case,“ Jimmy Bondoc, Pagcor’s vice president for corporate social responsibility group, told The STAR.

Bondoc said the world’s largest social network erred in tapping Vera Files and Rappler, which are “clearly against the administration and singling out pro-Duterte accounts while leaving others that are followers of other political groups untouched.” –  With Rey Galupo