A network of digital advocates expressed its support for the use of PhilSys for identity verification on social media and other online platforms such as gaming.
Digital Pinoys National Campaigner Ronald Gustilo said that the integration of PhilSys into social media and online platforms through identity verification offers the simplest and safest way to establish that a real person is behind an account without requiring users to surrender their National ID to private platforms.
“With this mechanism, platforms will be able to verify the person without handing over the ID or any other information to them and obliging them to be repositories of our National ID information. The platforms will only need to know if a person has a National ID or not.”
Gustilo also said that identity verification will enable platforms to identify accounts that are managed by troll farms engaged in misinformation, fake news, and domestic and foreign influence operations.
“We should also utilize PhilSys to identify accounts with no real person behind them. It’s okay to maintain anonymity or pseudonyms online, as we believe that people should be allowed to protect their identities when speaking, participating in communities, or expressing legitimate opinions. However, engaging in activities that destroy the essence of online democratic spaces, such as spreading fake news, misinformation, and online harassment—that’s where we draw the line. Anonymity should never be confused with immunity. An account owner shall carry the responsibility for their actions.”
Gustilo added that the greater danger comes from unaccountable actors who exploit anonymity to commit fraud, harassment, impersonation, manipulation, and other abuses.
“We should not be afraid of verification. We should be afraid of unaccountable actors operating with no consequences. These NVE operatives, groomers, troll farm accounts, and other online predators are enabled by online anonymity. PhilSys verification gives us a way forward by verifying the person while protecting the identity and holding bad actors accountable.”
