Jinggoy seeks to criminalize creation, spreading of fake news

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has filed a bill that will criminalize the creation and spreading of fake news.

Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines

Will fake news peddlers be soon imprisoned?

In a report by Inquirer.net, Estrada's Senate Bill no. 1296 "hopes to put a stop to the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation on the internet by criminalizing fake news as cybercrime and by providing penalties thereof."

Click baits, propaganda, and manipulation of legitimate news segments to deliberately spread online falsehoods, false news, or disinformation are so common nowadays, making it difficult to distinguish which is actual news to fake ones. Masyado nang talamak ang mga ito, Estrada said in a statement.

The proposed measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 to include the definition of fake news.

Fake news refers to misinformation and disinformation of stories, facts and news which is presented as a fact, the veracity of which cannot be confirmed, with the purpose of distorting the truth and misleading its audience, the bill read.

The senator also pushes for the inclusion fake news under cybercrime content-related offenses.

The bill is currently pending at the committee level.

Earlier, Senator Robinhood Padilla filed Senate Resolution 191 to push for an inter-agency approach against the spread of fake news.

He is also calling for an investigation in aid of legislation on the Cybercrime Prevention act and its related laws to be led by the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, which he chairs.

In the House of Representatives, two lawmakers filed a similar bill as they also push to penalize the creation and spreading of fake news.

Do you think this will be effective?

Source: Inquirer