House goes after ‘malicious’ Twitter account over false coronavirus news

Mara Cepeda

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

House goes after ‘malicious’ Twitter account over false coronavirus news

Darren Langit

Twitter user @house_files is deactivated minutes after House Secretary General Luis Montales says they would prosecute the people behind the account that had used the official House seal

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives is on the move to identify the people behind a Twitter account that used the lower chamber’s official seal to “deliberately cause panic, fear, and confusion” online.

On Thursday, April 2, House Secretary General Luis Montales said they are now coordinating with authorities to determine who is behind the Twitter account @house_files, which had been “posting false information” on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the past days.  

Montales said the Twitter account violated provisions against spreading false information stipulated under the recently passed Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act of 2020, and RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. (READ: Duterte’s special powers bill punishes fake news by jail time, up to P1-M fine)

“It has come to our attention that the Twitter account @house_files has been posting false information on the COVID-19 crisis, using the official seal of the House, and directly messaging users to deliberately cause panic, fear, and confusion,” Montales said in a statement.

He said they already reported the account for violating Twitter’s policy. 

“The account name has been changed to @congresstita and it still continues to spread false information. The House is closely coordinating with authorities to identify the perpetrators behind this malicious Twitter account. We shall prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law,” Montales added. 

The account @house_files initially had the official House seal as its profile photo

A screenshot of the cached page of Twitter user @house_files

After several of its posts when viral, @house_files renamed itself into @congresstita on Wednesday, April 1. It also changed its profile photo from the official House seal to a parody photo.

A screenshot of the cached page of the Twitter account after renaming itself into @congresstita

But as of 9:41 am on Thursday – minutes after Montales released his written statement – the Twitter account was already deactivated.

Montales then reminded the public the official House Twitter is only @HouseofRepsPH.

“The Philippine government is ensuring that the public shall receive only accurate and relevant information on its efforts against COVID-19. Let us be vigilant and consider information only from verified and authentic sources,” Montales said. 

The 18th Congress made a last-minute amendment to the Bayanihan law – which gave President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the coronavirus pandemic – to punish 8 acts, including the spreading of fake and alarming information, with either two months in prison or up to P1 million in fines, or both.

But several critics said Section 6 is the “most dangerous” clause of the law as it is a form of suppression of free speech, a right granted to Filipinos under the 1987 Constitution. – Rappler.com

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Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.