AFP checking report Facebook removed its accounts, pages for ‘inauthentic behavior’

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday said it is looking into a report that social media giant Facebook had removed accounts and pages linked to the military and police for supposedly violating its policies.

AFP spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said that all of the military’s social media accounts are “up and running.”

“In so far as the AFP is concerned, there are no accounts that the AFP maintains that were shut down or removed by Facebook,” he said in a statement sent to the media.

“The AFP upholds truth and accountability of network and SocMed account managers as to the contents of postings in our websites, pages, and accounts,” he said.

The social networking site said it took down dozens of Facebook accounts and pages as well as  Instagram accounts linked to the military and police for “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”

The Facebook accounts and pages, which focused on domestic audiences, posted about local news and domestic politics, the anti-terrorism bill, criticism of communism, activists and the opposition.

Arevalo said the AFP will meet with the Facebook Philippines’ policy head on Wednesday afternoon, but “not as an offshoot of this report.”

“It’s been long arranged and has been postponed twice due to issues of schedule,” he said.

KGA