House approves anti-fake news bill on final reading

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading a bill penalizing disinformation that could cause public harm or threaten national security.

With 286 lawmakers voting in favor, three against and seven abstaining, the lower chamber passed House Bill No. 9465, which seeks to push prison terms of six to 12 years and fines of up to P2 million for those found guilty of knowingly spreading false information intended to cause harm.

READ: Lawmakers fear antifake news bill may be used to silence gov’t critics

Disinformation in the Philippines is a chronic problem, and the push for the bill comes as lawmakers aim to curb the spread of false information in a country notorious for online trolling.

HB 9465 seeks to ban the “willful publication and dissemination of information” intended to cause harm or threaten national security, targeting troll farms, bot and fake account networks, and coordination with foreign actors in spreading disinformation, according to the bill.

It also aims to regulate the deceptive use of artificial intelligence-generated and digitally altered content intended to spread false information.

Under the bill, all digital platforms operating in the Philippines would be required to establish a local presence to ensure compliance and cooperation with authorities in anti-disinformation efforts.

A 2024 World Economic Forum report cited disinformation as the “most severe global risk” over the next two years, warning that it could undermine the legitimacy of governments, deepen political divisions, and fuel polarization.

Danilo Arao, a professor at the University of the Philippines College of Media and Communication, warned that legislating against disinformation could backfire, arguing it risks being weaponized against critics.

“Disinformation affects almost the entire population based on surveys that show a substantial number of respondents have been exposed to ‘fake news’ and have struggled to distinguish what is real and ‘fake news’,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“While this is a serious problem, legislating is not the solution,” he added. “Anything that seeks to control media content can be weaponized, especially given that ‘fake news’ is hard to define for the powers-that-be as they sometimes mistake critical analysis for disinformation.” /mcm/dp