Disinformation

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree on Monday, September 6, which would adjust internet regulations in the country to limit the ability of tech companies, most especially social media companies, to remove content on their platforms. An Agence France-Presse (AFP) report citing the federal communications secretariat said the decree aims to combat "the arbitrary and unjust deletion of accounts, profiles and content by providers." A Reuters report , citing the presidential press office, said the decree aims to "give clarity" to the policies of social media companies as regards the cancelation of content or accounts and is a bid to protect "freedom of speech." A BBC report mentions that details of the decree currently available said social media platforms must provide "just cause and motivation" before removing an account or any moderated content. The decree itself does not yet appear to be available on the list of decrees made in 2021 on ... » Learn More about Brazil president signs decree to limit tech companies’ ability to remove content

A disinformation campaign on social media in support of Chinese government interests has expanded to new languages and platforms, and it even tried to get people to show up to protests in the United States, researchers said on Wednesday, September 8. Experts at security company FireEye and Alphabet’s Google said the operation was identified in 2019 as running hundreds of accounts in English and Chinese aimed at discrediting the Hong Kong democracy movement. The effort has broadened its mission and spread from Twitter, Facebook, and Google to thousands of handles on dozens of sites around the world. This expansion suggests Chinese interests have made a deeper commitment to the sort of international propaganda techniques Russia has used for several years, experts said. Some of the new accounts are on networks used predominantly in countries that have not previously been significant Chinese propaganda targets, such as Argentina. Other networks have users around the ... » Learn More about Pro-China social media campaign expands to new countries, blames US for COVID-19

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has announced its candidates for the 2022 elections. On Wednesday, September 8, the Cusi faction officially nominated Senator Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte as its presidential and vice presidential bets, respectively. Duterte already accepted the nomination, but Go had declined. The faction also named the following nominees for senators: Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo Leyte 4th District Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade The following we announced as “guest candidates”: Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Chairman Greco Belgica SAGIP Representative Rodante Marcoleta Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Public Works Secretary Mark Villar The other faction within the party, which is led by senators Manny ... » Learn More about FAST FACTS: PDP-Laban nominees for the 2022 Philippine elections

GUTSY JOURNOS WatchDoc’s unorthodox approach to data gathering and narrative building has been rewarded with a large online viewership. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Sometimes all it takes is a bag heavy with cameras, a motorcycle and about a year on the road to capture and draw attention to longstanding social ills through a fresh, critical lens. That’s how WatchDoc—a 10-year-old production house in Indonesia that specializes in investigative journalism—put together “Expedisi Indonesia Biru” (Blue Indonesia Expedition), a hard-hitting 12-part documentary about rural poverty, labor and environmental issues, and the unchecked corruption that pervades them all. For a year, WatchDoc founder Dandhy Laksono and fellow filmmaker Suparta Arz motorbiked across the archipelago to document the lives of farmers, fishermen and indigenous communities. Their 10,000-kilometer journey unearthed, among others, stories of injustice and exploitation that led to the doorstep of ranking public officials. ... » Learn More about Indonesian media team casts unflinching eye on issues

United States President Donald Trump has issued executive orders to ban U.S. transactions with Chinese tech firms behind TikTok and WeChat by September 15, 2020. Ban will take effect in 45 days The executive orders issued by Trump will ban any U.S. transactions between Chinese tech firms Tencent and ByteDance, which own messaging app WeChat and the video-sharing app TikTok respectively. With 45 days to the deadline, Microsoft is working with ByteDance to acquire parts of TikTok in the next three weeks, reported CNBC . Threats to national security: Trump According to Trump, WeChat collects large amount of information from the app's users and allegedly allows for the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to the personal data of Americans. This also includes the information of Chinese nationals who visit the U.S.. The executive order bans "any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction ... » Learn More about Donald Trump issues executive orders for US ban on TikTok & WeChat by Sep. 15

SINGAPORE - A proposed law will give the authorities new powers to counter foreign attempts to influence domestic politics, incite social tensions or sway key national decisions. The Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on Monday (Sept 13), will provide the Government with a range of tools - including powers to compel Internet and social media service providers to disclose information on users, remove online content and block user accounts - to counter these hostile actors. The proposed law will strengthen Singapore's ability to prevent, detect and disrupt foreign interference in its domestic politics conducted through hostile information campaigns and the use of local proxies, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Individuals and groups directly involved in Singapore's political processes will be designated as politically significant persons (PSPs) who will be subject to measures to mitigate the risk of foreign interference should ... » Learn More about Under proposed new law to counter foreign interference, authorities can order take down of ‘hostile’ social media posts

The museum’s design combines the imagery of a closed fist and that of a flower, borne out of the Brutalist architectural style (simple, block-like structures). The four young architects who crafted the design said it was a deliberate play on the “brutal” historical era and of the architectural style that governed much of Marcosian edifices, like the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center. PHOTO from HRVVMC MANILA, Philippines — With every passing day, activist playwright Bonifacio “Boni” Ilagan worries that the Marcoses are gaining ground in the vicious battle against historical revisionism. The horrors he endured under the Marcos regime remains vivid in his mind, but social media has eroded the country’s collective memories, he noted. As false narratives about Ferdinand Marcos are systematically amplified by networks of disinformation, Ilagan feels that “my story, and the story of all those who were tyrannized by martial law, are ... » Learn More about Martial law museum to rise on UP Diliman campus

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg China said it has urged the UK government to stop the organisers of the Uyghur Tribunal from continuing with its proceedings. The tribunal, which began its hearings on Sep. 10, was established to determine if the Chinese government has committed genocide against Uyghur Muslims. China admits to pressuring UK government on Uyghur Tribunal In a press conference on Sep. 10, held by the Chinese embassy in the UK, along with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang said the Chinese government has "made solemn representations to the British government" about the matter. "We urge them to take actions to stop the organisers from continuing such malicious behaviour," Zheng said. In addition, Zheng's reply suggested that the British government had appeared to distance itself from the tribunal, reiterating that it is being run independently. Zheng said, "We ... » Learn More about China admits to pressuring UK govt to stop proceedings on Uyghur Tribunal

The United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU) and Canada have taken joint action on Mar. 23 (Singapore time) against Chinese officials for human rights abuses against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province of western China. In the first such sanctions undertaken against members of the Chinese government in three decades, T he Guardian reported that the sanctions, which will be carried out in parallel, specifically target the officials involved in the mass internment of the Uyghur people. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated that two such officials would be sanctioned in connection with "serious human rights abuses" in Xinjiang. The U.S. is designating two People’s Republic of China officials under our Global Magnitsky sanctions in connection with serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang. We stand united with the UK, Canada, and the EU in promoting accountability for those who abuse human rights. — Secretary Antony Blinken ... » Learn More about US, UK, EU & Canada sanction Chinese officials for ‘serious human rights abuses’ in Xinjiang

On Monday, September 13, actress and YouTuber Toni Gonzaga interviewed Bongbong Marcos , son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, on her Toni Talks YouTube show. The episode was irksomely titled, “The Greatest Lesson Bongbong Marcos Learned From His Father.” Just on the title alone, my initial reaction was disbelief and disgust. It had awakened the anger in my gut: she had made it sound like Ferdinand Marcos, murderer and thief, had great lessons to impart. Marcos was a strongman who dealt with critics and maintained power for 20 years the way strongmen do – harshly, unforgivingly, disproportionate to the transgressions he imagined being levied against him. Toni failed to discuss this matter with Bongbong with the depth the topic required. Instead, she allowed Bongbong to claim that all that had been said against his father were lies, just lies, and nothing more. That is the biggest failure of Toni here as an interviewer. She allowed Bongbong to get away ... » Learn More about [OPINION] On Toni Gonzaga interviewing Bongbong Marcos