Philippines: Introduced Act Criminalising the Creation and Dissemination of "Fake News", Amending the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (HB No. 9141)

On 13 September 2023, an Act Criminalising the Creation and Dissemination of "Fake News" (HB No. 9141) was introduced to the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Act would amend sections 3 and 4 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No.10175) and criminalise the creation and dissemination of “fake news”, defined as false information, facts, stories and news that are shared with the intention to mislead its audience. The Act specifically targets the spread of false information through messaging services, online advertising, and user-generated content on platforms. It thus proposes a new cybercrime offence, named "Cyber Fake News", defined as the creation and dissemination of fake news committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future. Lastly, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Centre (CICC) is tasked with formulating rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the Act.