CIO, DICT join forces vs fake news

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The City Information Office (CIO) has partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region 10 to combat disinformation targeting politicians, public figures and ordinary citizens.

City Information officer Jade Adeser met with Karl Pios of the DICT Region 10 Cybersecurity Team on Friday to discuss measures against the spread of false information targeting the bureaucracy and operations of the Cagayan de Oro local government.

Adeser said information warfare is increasingly being used to damage the reputation of individuals, noting that ordinary citizens are also vulnerable to online attacks.

“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.

DICT Region 10 expressed its commitment to assist the CIO but acknowledged the challenges in directly shutting down or restricting fake pages and troll accounts.

The agency said addressing such concerns requires coordination with other national government agencies mandated to monitor and respond to cybersecurity and cybercrime-related activities.

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