The Facebook (FB) account of the anti-communist task force spokesperson known for Red-tagging almost every critic of the Duterte administration has been suspended for one month over violations of FB’s community standards.
The anti-communist chatter has been silenced on National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy’s main platform after her account was restricted by the social media giant over violations of its community standards.
A Facebook company spokesman confirmed that Badoy has been restricted by FB from posting or commenting for 30 days after it took down at least three posts that violated community standards.
The apparent restriction on the account of Badoy came after she baselessly labeled Rappler “a friend and ally” and “mouthpiece” of communist rebels in separate Facebook posts.
The Facebook spokesperson said they have removed several posts from this platform for violating their policy against inciting violence.
“We do not allow people to post content that could contribute to offline harm. Accounts that repeatedly violate our policies may face stronger enforcement action such as restrictions on posting,” a Facebook company spokesperson said.
Government officials have repeatedly accused critics and activists of links with communist rebels, a practice that the UN Human Rights Office has warned is being “increasingly institutionalized and normalized in ways that will be very difficult to reverse.”
The UN office said in a June 2020 report that “the focus is diverted to discrediting the messengers rather than examining the substance of the message. This has muddied the space for debate, disagreement and for challenging state institutions and policies.”
People, including lawyers and rights workers, who were previously red-tagged have ended up killed.
Facebook’s community standards, which all users agree to comply with by using the social media platform, has a policy against violence and incitement, which aims to prevent potential real-life harm to individuals.
“We remove language that incites or facilitates serious violence. We remove content, disable accounts, and work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety,” according to Facebook’s community standards.
Among those prohibited under Facebook’s policy against violence and incitement are “misinformation and unverifiable rumors that contribute to the risk of imminent violence or physical harm.”
Badoy, along with fellow NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, are notorious for red-tagging, or accusing individuals and groups of being connected with communist rebels. Rights groups have consistently warned against red-tagging, as those accused can be exposed to harassment, threats to life and even death.
