Source: Amnesty International –
Philippines authorities are increasingly using Facebook in red-tagging campaigns targeting young activists, including those who investigate alleged human rights violations by the military, police and other government agencies, Amnesty International said today in a new report.
The new report, “I turned my fear into courage”: Red-tagging and state violence against young human rights defenders in the Philippines, details how the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has increasingly weaponized digital tools, misinformation and vague anti-terror laws to harass, intimidate and repress young activists.
At the heart of this coordinated campaign is the practice of “red-tagging”, through which leading political figures and state security officials vilify human rights activists and other perceived opponents of the state as alleged “Communist rebels” and “terrorists.”
Activists and other critical voices are being red-tagged and identified as targets by the government, and then pursued online. However, in the Philippines, the issue does not only concern online harassment; it also results in tangible harm offline.
Damini Satija, Director of Amnesty Tech
“Over the years, red-tagging has been used to instigate direct threats and attacks on those who criticize and oppose the government and Meta is playing an enabling role in this.”
Young activists interviewed for this report described how they have personally suffered from being red-tagged, which has led to a climate of fear and self-censorship, or individuals giving up on their work as activists or journalists.
As recently as August 2024, young environmental rights defender Rowena Dasig went missing and is feared to have become the target of a series of enforced disappearances of human rights defenders under President Marcos Jr.
Ana*, a 26-year-old student activist said, “When you’re harassed online or when you’re posted online, that makes you a target. It’s letting people know that this person is a target, that you should not get close to this person … Of course, if you’re not yet organized, it would make you think that you wouldn’t want to be an activist because your life would be put in danger.”