Biazon to Facebook: Prevent cloning of accounts

By JOHN CARLO M. CAHINHINAN

Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon is seeking a congressional probe into the supposed “widespread cloning” of Facebook accounts over the weekend.

Biazon, senior vice-chair of the House committee on national defense said Facebook’s alleged breach between May 29 up to present “may have compromised the safety and private data of its users.”

Biazon warned that the apparent cloning of Facebook accounts “opens up its users, particularly the youth, to a slew of exploitations like the threat of cybercrime such as online bullying, harassment, identity theft, violations of privacy and others.”

According to Biazon, the Facebook management needs to explain that despite the supposed security measures infused in their platform as claimed by their developers, the apparent “wide spread cloning” of the user’s account did happen.

“It is the responsibility of Facebook to ensure not just the resolution of the current batch of cloned accounts but more importantly, to prevent the occurrence of the same,” said Biazon.

Biazon’s House Resolution No. 698 aims not only for the House of Representatives to investigate the said matter but also for law enforcement authorities to come with “remedial measures” to prevent such similar situation from occurring in the future.

Meanwhile, DIWA Party-list Rep. Michael Edgar Aglipay has voiced his concern over the matter, saying that the incident “indeed poses danger to the users.”

“I enjoin everyone to be vigilant about these fake accounts and immediately report such to the proper administrators of the social media platform,” said Aglipay.

Aglipay encouraged Facebook users “to be cautious, or even suspicious, when accepting new invites or questionable solicitations.”

He advised users of the said social media platform to utilize “any additional security checks” that your Facebook may provide.

Numerous bogus Facebook accounts targeting activists, students of state universities, and members of media sprouted over the weekend, as oppositors of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 claimed that the incident might be a “prelude to crackdown” once the controversial legislation reached President Rodrigo Duterte’s table for signature.

But Senator Panfilo Lacson said he’s not closing the possibility that critics of the Congress-approved anti-terror bill are possibly behind the multiple duplicate accounts sprouted in Facebook as part of their “scare tactics” against the controversial legislation.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)