CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The City Information Office (CIO) has parnered with the  the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region 10 to combat fake news targeting  not onlly politician and public figures but also individuals in the city.

Jade Adeser , City information officer on Friday  met with Karl Pios, a member of its Cybersecurity Team, to discuss measures to address the spread of disinformation that has consistently targeted the bureaucracy and operations of the Local Government Unit of Cagayan de Oro.

During the discussion, Adeser pointed out that information warfare is increasingly being used as a tool to damage the reputation of individuals, not only politicians and public figures but also ordinary citizens.

“If they can target high-ranking officials, how can we protect those who do not have the privilege and resources to defend themselves?” Adeser said.

While DICT Region 10 expressed its commitment to assist the CIO in addressing the spread of disinformation, it also acknowledged the challenges involved, particularly the limitations in directly shutting down or restricting the engagement of fake pages and troll accounts.

DICT explained that addressing such concerns requires coordination with other national government agencies mandated to monitor and address cybersecurity and cybercrime-related issues.

The CIO and DICT Region 10 agreed to strengthen coordination and explore appropriate measures to help protect the public from the harmful effects of disinformation and promote a safer and more reliable information environment.