The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to unravel the truth behind a social media content that has been manipulated using deepfake technology to make it appear as if President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is directing the military to act against a particular country.
FIRST MEET President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shakes hands of the members of the first Joint National Peace and Order Council and Regional Peace and Order Council meeting this year, on April 25, 2024. They discusses issues on the government's efforts towards security, actions against illegal drugs and strengthening the country's cybersecurity. PCO PHOTO
In his directive, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla ordered the NBI to "(h)old accountable the personalities behind this deceiving act, make the investigation swift and comprehensive to ascertain the truth."
“I am instructing you to file the necessary legal action, if warranted, against those behind this fake news,” Remulla added.
On Tuesday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) warned the public against an audio recording of President Marcos that was maliciously manipulated and edited using artificial intelligence (AI).
The PCO belied the claim of the manipulated content, and urged the public to join the fight against fake news and be responsible social media users.
“Let us all be more vigilant against such manipulated digital content that are deployed by actors to propagate malicious content online and advance a malign influence agenda,” the PCO said.
“We encourage everyone to work with us in fostering a more aware, resilient, and engaged citizenry in our digital commons,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police-Anti Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) on Thursday said it has intensified cyber patrols to crack down on videos on social media that were manipulated using deepfake technology, which has also victimized the President.
The move comes after the circulation of a video with a voice resembling that of the President, directing the Armed Forces of the Philippines to act against a particular foreign country.
In a statement, PNP-ACG chief Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia said they received a tip from a concerned citizen and found deepfake videos uploaded by "Dapat Balita" on video platform YouTube that were attributed to the President and discussed tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology defines deepfake as a specific kind of synthetic media where a person in an image or video is swapped with another person's likeness.
It is generated by artificial intelligence (AI) technology that portrays something that does not exist in reality or events that have never occurred.
"'Dapat Balita' was deactivated, but another YouTube account with the same name reposted the videos. Additionally, a Facebook page named ’Dapat Balita,’ created on April 19, 2021, was found. The page managers' primary country or region location is the Philippines and Pakistan. The page keeps posting fake articles, which has been noticed by commentators," Hernia added.
He said the ACG has requested the preservation of the YouTube channel's data and the deactivation of its Facebook page.
Cybercriminals may face charges for violating Article 154 (Unlawful use of means of publication and unlawful utterances) of the Revised Penal Code, in connection with Section 6 and Section 4 (b) (3) of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Focus crimes down 19.57%
Meanwhile, the PNP has recorded a 19.57 percent drop in focus crime incidents from Jan. 1 to April 22 this year.
Citing the latest data as of Thursday, the PNP said 10,249 focus crimes were recorded during this period, compared to 12,743 logged in the same period last year.
Classified as focus crimes are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, theft, robbery, vehicle theft and motorcycle theft.
Rape posted the biggest decline at 46.94 percent, followed by vehicle theft at 42.86 percent; physical injury, 16.44 percent; robbery, 13.58 percent; motorcycle theft, 10.86 percent; and theft, 10.26 percent.
Homicide cases, meanwhile, rose by 13.44 percent while murder incidents saw a slight increase of 0.63 percent.
From a high of 196,420 focus crimes recorded from July 2016 to April 2018, the figure dipped to 71,133 incidents from July 2022 to April 21, 2024, down 63.79 percent or 125,287 crimes.
In anti-illegal drug efforts, a total of 13,114 kg. of marijuana and shabu and 7,412,292 pieces of marijuana plants, with an estimated street value of PHP32.6 billion, were confiscated since the start of the Marcos administration in July 2022.
The illegal drugs were confiscated in 87,274 police operations from July 2022 to April 22, 2024.
For cybercrimes in the same period, the PNP-ACG arrested 1,202 suspects and rescued 4,140 victims.
In operations against international gaming licensing, such as Philippine offshore gaming operator or POGO activities and online lending applications, about 50 suspects were arrested, while 2,364 foreigners and 1,706 Filipinos were rescued. PNA