Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13) — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) asked social media giant Facebook to review its decision to take down pages of some progressive groups in the country, stressing it must respect human rights.
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In a statement on Friday, the CHR expressed grave concern over the removal of pages belonging to Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), and Anakbayan.
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“We urge Facebook to review their decision to take down the pages of progressive groups based on their business and human rights obligation to protect, respect, and remedy,” the CHR said.
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The commission cited the foundational principles of corporate responsibility under the United National Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which states that businesses should “avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.”
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It added: “The cited UNGP further explains that the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights ‘exists independently of State’s abilities and/or willingness to fulfill their own human rights obligations’ and that business enterprises are similarly required to ‘avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through their own activities, and address such impacts when they occur.'”
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On Jan. 5, KMU chairperson Elmer Labog condemned the shutdown of their Facebook page, as well as the pages of BAYAN and Anakbayan.
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The KMU also said in a statement that the personal accounts of page administrators and editors were locked.
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The groups said Facebook targeted pages that shared posts on the passing of Jose Maria Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines founder — which were also removed for allegedly violating Facebook’s Community Standards on “dangerous individuals and organizations.”
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CNN Philippines also got the same warning when it tried to confirm the matter.
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Facebook, which is owned by Meta Platforms Inc., has yet to respond to CNN Philippines’ request for comment.
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The CHR said censorship on social media platforms can have serious consequences, as it can prevent people from speaking out about important issues and suppress dissent.
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