Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11) — Initial probe into the Facebook dummy accounts reported over the weekend showed no evidence of “coordinated or malicious activity,” the social media network said on Thursday.
“At this time, we have not seen evidence of the reported accounts engaging in coordinated or malicious activity focused on creating fake accounts,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.
The network added that it did not see a sudden surge in the creation of accounts over the weekend, although it did record a spike in reports of fake profiles.
Several Facebook users, mostly university students and alumni, raised the alarm on Sunday over the emergence of alleged dummy accounts bearing their names.
READ: #HandsOffOurStudents trends as fake online profiles of university students, alumni surface
However, Facebook noted that majority of the reported profiles have not been recently active. They have not been posting content, making any friend requests or sending any messages, it added.
“We will continue to validate the authenticity of these accounts and prioritise the removal of those that violate our policies,” Facebook said.
In validating accounts’ authenticity, additional information will be asked of the owners before they can continue using the platform. Those who fail the verification process will have their accounts deleted, according to Facebook.
The network encourages people to report any account they believe may be inauthentic or violating their policies.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice earlier said it will also conduct its own probe, after over a hundred alleged fake accounts have been reported to the agency.
The DOJ said that should victims of reported duplicate accounts decide to pursue criminal cases later on, data from these accounts could be used in the prosecution.
