On Monday, 10 August 2020, FMA joined a coalition of civil society groups and lawyers in filing the 27th petition seeking to nullify Republic Act No. 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. The group, led by the Center for International Law (CenterLaw) assailed the constitutionality of the law, stating Read more…
Digital, mobile, and social media have become indispensable to Fiipinos’ every day lives. We are heavy engagers of online media, spending around four hours and 12 minutes on different social media platforms and ten hours and two minutes on being online. Now that the country is facing health crisis, more Read more…
08 July 2020 The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Department of Health (DOH) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Multisys Technology Corporation (Multisys) World Health Organization (WHO) Open letter to request for strong user privacy protections in the Philippines’ COVID-19 contact Read more…
In an effort to provide online educational opportunities to our networks and business sector, we are excited to announce our first webinar series on business and human rights in the digital environment. This webinar series is brought to you by the Foundation for Media Alternatives and with the support of Read more…
Today, 15 June 2020, the Manila Regional Trial Court handed down a guilty verdict on the cyber libel case against online media organization Rappler’s CEO Maria Ressa and former reporter Reynaldo Santos, Jr. The verdict is a result of a case that is widely regarded to be the ultimate test Read more…
While the Internet has grown to become a basic need for people to access information, services, and form social connections and communities, it similarly allows for same problems offline to be perpetuated online such as hate and abusive comments, sexual harassment, and other forms of violence. For instance, Facebook, while Read more…
In a treacherous move that takes advantage of the lockdown due to COVID19 in the country, the House of Representatives approved the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and is rushing it through final reading before they go on a two-month break from June 6th. Human rights groups led by In Defense Read more…
A tribute to Roberto ‘Obet” Verzola, written by Nina Somera, a member of FMA’s Board of Trustees. (Photo taken from Oxford Internet Institute) Last night, the rains brought a respite from the humid summer heat. Its unexpectedness was a distraction from the surreality of ABSCBN’s shutdown and other unabated abuses Read more…
This year’s World Press Freedom Day takes on a special meaning around a world in quarantine. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have been forced to go on lockdown, close borders, discourage physical contact and mass gatherings, and resort to other measures that may have the incidental effect of concentrating Read more…
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency that requires a coordinated and large-scale response by governments worldwide. However, States’ efforts to contain the virus must not be used as a cover to usher in a new era of greatly expanded systems of invasive digital surveillance. We, the undersigned Read more…