MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is seeking a House inquiry on the surge of “clone” accounts on social media giant Facebook, which he claimed could subject individuals to “fraud, identity theft, breach of privacy, harassment and other unlawful activities.”
Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon on Wednesday said he has filed House Resolution No. 968, urging the appropriate House panel to probe the alleged “breach” on Facebook that “may have compromised the safety and private data of its users.
“Yesterday, I filed proposed House Resolution No. 968 calling for an inquiry in aid of legislation into the proliferation of Facebook clone accounts which may subject persons to fraud, identity theft, breach of privacy, harassment and other unlawful activities,” the lawmaker said in a Twitter post.
Yesterday I filed proposed House Resolution No. 968 calling for an inquiry in aid of legislation into the proliferation of Facebook clone accounts which may subject persons to fraud, identity theft, breach of privacy, harassment and other unlawful activities. pic.twitter.com/eKEgBLE7d3
— Ruffy Biazon (@ruffybiazon) June 9, 2020
Such breach on the social media platform opens its users, particularly the young, to exploitations like cybercrime, such as online bullying, harassment, identity theft, violation of privacy among others, Biazon said.
He further noted that under the present circumstances brought about by the pandemic, social media platforms are also being used for official business transactions.
“It is therefore incumbent upon the government to ensure the safety of its users through the protection of their private data,” Biazon’s resolution read.
He added that the government could create a joint task force composed of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), the National Privacy Commission (NPC), and other related agencies.
Remedial measures must also be put in place to prevent similar incidents, the Muntinlupa representative said.
Thousands of fake accounts bearing the names of students, faculties, and alumni of local universities, including the University of the Philippines proliferated over the weekend.
Facebook is already investigating the surge of dummy accounts.
The Department of Justice will likewise launch a probe into this incident, directing its Office of Cybercrime to coordinate with the cybercrime units of the National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP to investigate the matter.