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Manila:
Twitter has suspended tons of of accounts reportedly linked to supporters of Philippine presidential frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr, which the social media big mentioned had violated its guidelines on manipulation and spam.
The son and namesake of the nation’s former dictator is drawing help from an enormous social media marketing campaign searching for to get him elected in Could, which critics say is making an attempt to rewrite the household’s historical past.
Twitter mentioned it had reviewed the accounts and hashtags recognized in a latest article by Philippine information web site Rappler.
Greater than 300 accounts had been eliminated “for violating our platform manipulation and spam coverage,” Twitter mentioned in an announcement despatched to AFP Saturday.
Most of them had been taken down earlier than the Rappler article was revealed on Tuesday and an investigation was ongoing, it mentioned.
Filipinos are among the many world’s heaviest customers of social media and the nation has develop into a key battleground for faux information.
“With the Philippine elections happening this Could, we stay vigilant about figuring out and eliminating suspected data campaigns concentrating on election conversations,” Twitter mentioned.
Marcos Jr’s spokesman Vic Rodriguez mentioned there was “no certainty” that every one the suspended accounts belonged to supporters of the presidential hopeful.
Election victory for Marcos Jr would mark the final word political comeback for the household, which was chased into exile in the US after its patriarch’s humiliating downfall in 1986.
Marcos Sr and his spouse Imelda had been accused of huge corruption whereas in energy.
Current voter surveys present Marcos Jr holding an enormous lead over his nearest rival and nemesis Leni Robredo, who’s the incumbent vice chairman.
Rappler mentioned Marcos Jr supporters had been “trying to dominate Twitter” and that most of the accounts it investigated had been created across the time he introduced his bid for the presidency in October.
The accounts pushed the narrative that the Marcoses had been “victims” of the 1986 revolt and their return to Malacanang presidential palace is “lengthy overdue”, it added.
Twitter mentioned sharing political content material on an account or rallying folks accomplish that by way of hashtags was allowed, “until the accounts are inauthentic, compensated or automated, which we see no clear proof of on this case.”
Final Monday, the social media big mentioned it was increasing a take a look at function that may permit customers in Brazil, Spain and the Philippines to report deceptive content material.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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