ACT Teachers Party-list is planning to raise in the next Congress META's action of deactivating Facebook accounts, which the group has slammed as a form of politically-motivated censorship that curtails freedom of expression in the country.
ACT Teachers Party-list eyes grilling of META over censorship claims
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ACT Teachers Party-list is planning to raise in the next Congress META's action of deactivating Facebook accounts, which the group has slammed as a form of politically-motivated censorship that curtails freedom of expression in the country.
This, after the party-list current's representative in the lower chamber and senatorial France Castro slammed META for deactivating her Facebook pages and restricting its administrators' access to the accounts.
Castro's first official Facebook page was deactivated on Feb. 16 and was followed by a second page that was also unpublished on March 15.
According to Castro, the pages had experienced intermittent accessibility, appearing briefly before being unpublished again. The personal accounts of their administrators were also restricted, she added.
Castro says it is "a clear case of digital harassment and censorship", and that "META is systematically silencing progressive voices that speak truth to power".
She then expressed the party-list's plan to seek legal remedies against the company for this.
"Ang aking Facebook page ay ginagamit para maghatid ng mahahalagang impormasyon sa ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa mga guro at kawani ng edukasyon. Ito ay plataporma para sa demokratikong diskurso at pagpapahayag ng mga hinaing ng mga marginalized sectors (My Facebook pages are being used to spread important information to my fellow countrymen, especially to our teachers and education employes. These are a platform for a democratic discourse of the marginalized)," she said.
Castro said that despite following META's standard appeals process, it provided no substantial explanation for the takedowns.
"We demand that META immediately restore our pages and the accounts of our administrators. We also call for transparency in their content moderation policies and appeal procedures," she said.
Meanwhile, the party-list's current nominee for the upcoming May 12 elections, Antonio Tinio, also condemned META's actions, and emphasized that this is not an isolated incident but part of a larger pattern of suppression.
"We've seen this happen to numerous progressive organizations and individuals. Digital platforms like Facebook have become essential public spaces for discourse, and META has the responsibility to uphold free speech, not suppress it," he said.
"Nakakabahala na sa panahon ng fake news at disinformation, ang lehitimong boses ng mga progresibong mambabatas at organisasyon ang siyang pinapatahimik (It's alarming that in the era of fake news and disinformation, the legitimate voices of the progressive lawmakers and organizations are being silenced)," he added.