Philippines, China clashes trigger money-making disinformation
A Facebook military interest page that claims that Washington is helping its ally Manila prepare for war. Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP
Agence France-Presse
Since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began standing up to China over its territorial claims, social media has been awash with posts that often exaggerate the country's defense capabilities or allude to an imminent war in the region.
AFP uncovered a coordinated network of dozens of Facebook and YouTube channels that direct users to a bogus news website that appears to use artificial intelligence to rapidly churn out unfounded claims for advertising revenue.
Analysts say it is unclear if the network is directly linked to state actors, but the content often mirrors China's position on the dispute.
Together, the network's associated pages and channels have a combined following of more than 10 million people.
Elise Thomas, a senior analyst at London's Institute for Strategic Dialogue think tank, said revenue-making disinformation campaigns have emerged as a "big industry" in Southeast Asia, where labour is relatively cheap.
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