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A
deluge of impostor accounts using the identities of students,
journalists and government officials alarmed social media users
and prompted an investigation by government agencies.
"At this time, we have not seen evidence of the reported
accounts engaging in coordinated or malicious activity focused
on creating fake accounts," Facebook said in a statement.
It saw no evidence of a sudden surge in the creation of
accounts, but said reports on impersonation and fake accounts
had spiked.
The University of the Philippines first identified the accounts
over the weekend following a protest a week ago about a
controversial anti-terror bill approved by the legislature.
Those spotted had carried names of students who were among eight
people arrested at the protest.
The country's cybercrime department plans to dig deeper into the
issue and conduct a joint investigation with law enforcement
agencies, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told Reuters.
The social media giant said it would continue validating the
authenticity of user accounts and prioritise the removal of
those violating its policies.
Filipinos top the world in time spent on social media, according
to a recent study.
Platforms like Facebook have become political battlegrounds and
have helped strengthen President Rodrigo Duterte's support base,
having been instrumental in his election victory in 2016 and a
rout by his allies in mid-term polls last year.
The Duterte administration has repeatedly denied allegations
that it has allowed the abuse and manipulation of social media
by its supporters to harass and discredit opponents.
Facebook in May said it estimated the prevalence of fake
accounts among its worldwide monthly active users at 5%.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty)
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