De Lima slams Google’s inaction on fake YouTube content

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Leila De Lima on Thursday lamented the prevalence of fake news against her on YouTube and renewed her call for Google Philippines to address the matter.

De Lima said that there are over 100 fake videos against her that are uploaded on YouTube.

These videos, the senator said, have yet to be taken down despite having been continuously reported by her staff.

“YouTube has been instrumental in the spread of fake news because it became a convenient space for fake news purveyors to spread false content to further their own personal and political agendas,” De Lima said in a statement.

“I am just among the many victims of fake news populating Youtube. To date, there are at least 115 fake videos about me monitored and reported by my Senate staff, but given the malignant spread of fake clips in the website, there could be more of these being uploaded that we are not yet aware of,” De Lima added.

She earlier asked Google Philippines to act on the proliferation of fake news videos on YouTube, saying that the company should be responsible for the content it allows to be disseminated in its platform.

“Google PH needs to recognize that it is instrumental in winning the global fight against fake news and the stop of the propagation of hate in its platform. They cannot turn a blind eye on this issue,” De Lima said.

Likewise, the senator reminded Filipinos to be aware of the use of online platforms to spread misinformation.

“But as we await Google PH’s action on fake news, it is important for us, Filipinos, to become increasingly aware of how fake news peddlers use platforms, such as YouTube, to mislead people so we will never fall victim to their traps,” De Lima said. /gsg