Suppression of free speech
In a bleak future, the suppression of free speech in the Philippines casts a long shadow over its people. Government collusion with private entities results in a pervasive atmosphere of surveillance and censorship. Exploiting advanced technologies, authorities monitor citizens’ every move, reminiscent of the country's troubled history with surveillance; echoes of authoritarianism from the past (from colonial regimes to Martial Law) now haunt the present.
Social media platforms, once heralded as bastions of free expression, become tools of oppression. Algorithms automatically shadow ban politically sensitive topics, stifling discourse. Journalists and activists are not the only ones under constant surveillance; even everyday citizens are subject to this too, thanks to mass surveillance systems on social media. And at theirmost extreme, those in power wield control over communication infrastructure, silencing dissent by shutting down signals and cutting off access to information.
In this dystopian reality, the truth becomes a casualty of manipulation and control. Filipinos are stripped of their agency, denied access to diverse perspectives, and left powerless in the face of tyranny.
In the dim glow of his room, Isaiah sits before his camera, his face etched with desperation and resignation. With trembling hands, he records an apology video, begging for reinstatement on Facebook after being banned from the platform. His words falter as he recounts the vague offense that led to his exile from the digital realm, a punishment without clear cause or recourse. As he pleads for a second chance, the weight of digital censorship and surveillance bears down on him, a stark reminder of the precarious nature of online existence in a world governed by opaque algorithms and arbitrary rules.
In the eerie silence of the night, Leon the journalist stares at his phone, heart pounding with fear as threatening messages from unknown numbers flood his inbox. The police and military, wielding unchecked power facilitated by the mandatory SIM card registration, have illegally obtained his contact details. Each text is a chilling reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows of authoritarian rule, where dissent is silenced with intimidation and violence. With nowhere to turn and the specter of persecution looming large, the journalist grapples with the harsh reality of living in a dystopian society where freedom of speech is a luxury afforded only to those who dare to remain silent.
Selected Quotes
...[There's] also censorship and algorithmic shadow banning, I think we're seeing it a lot right now with the news about Palestine, seeing how on Instagram like...if you post about something that's not politically aligned with the institutions of the United States...[for instance,] like I posted on Instagram about Palestine, and it literally got 11 views in 24 hours and I have over 2000 followers...The agency and freedom that huge technological corporations have to like moderate content and actively silence people is really terrifying. And I see that playing out a lot too in the Philippines for... any dissenters, I mean, dissenters in the Philippines are...like I mean, Maria Ressa herself...are already targeted and actively pursued legally. So yeah, the combination of misinformation and then also blatant censorship is really terrifying for the future of the Philippines, in terms of people having access to truth and just like general opinion also...sometimes I see content on Instagram [that makes me think]..."Wow, I can easily see how people with another view are so siloed into that view and why they think they're 100% correct"...when you aren't exposed to things, there's just no way for you to check your own opinions and stuff like that.
So I guess...agency over information not being in the hands of Filipino people is quite terrifying, given the history of misinformation already in politics.
But I also feel like in 2040, technology would be so powerful that if it does become like a World War 3, then they can just shut down like satellites...I'm not really sure then, maybe we wouldn't have technology. Maybe the winning side would just have the technology, and all the losers would have their internet cut off.
...I mean, you could list every single technology, and there [would always be] a problem like surveillance. And like every form of AI [is] terrifying...
In terms of government, I think mataas yung surveillance, lalo na yung SIM cards natin at may access na yung government. Ano bang itsura kapag masusurveil yung mga mamamayan? Marami siyang ibig sabihin pero yung pinakanakakatakot, kunwari yung nangyayari ngayon sa Gaza, para naman silang sobrang nauubos kasi grabe yung surveillance dun sa area nila. Part siya ng oppression. Sa war on drugs ni Duterte, ginamit din yung surveillance para matrack yung papatayin mo na pinaghihinalaan mong adik.
Alam mo, tingin ko talaga yung surveillance na yan will bring a lot of fear and violence and control sa lahat...Parang yung effect niya sa government, for example, pwede siyang magmanipulate ng elections. Kunwari if surveillance mo, mas maraming tao sa area na to, itatarget mo talaga yun para manalo ka at ipagpapatuloy mo yung kind of regime that you have. So manipulation and control yung talagang mangyayari. Madami ako ngayong nababasa talaga. Dun talaga makikita mo yung power of surveillance, how it can oppress and control and make people feel powerless because yung data nila transparent sa nagcocontrol sa kanila, sa government so nakakatakot talaga siya. Pinakaworried talaga ako sa politics...I think mas tataas din yung movement for digital rights when it happens and magiging katuwang natin yung different people and mas magiging important yung sector ng [Computer Professionals' Union] and Developh, yung communities na yun. Sila talaga yung magiging kasama sa forefront ng laban na yun. Pero yun, nagsisimula na siya ngayon pero matagal na yan. Bata pa lang anak ko, may pinapasa nang batas sa Europe about the right to be erased from the internet.
[When it comes to characterizations of AI amongst Filipinos]...Mata, usually. Kasi pag Filipinos, I think about the masses, yung batayang sektor. Pero for example, si Tona, yung cover ng zine niya is a panopticon. Nung unang panahon, it's a tower na nilalagay sa gitna ng prison cells tapos from there, minomonitor yung buong kulungan kasi wala pa silang tech noon. So yun yung cover ng zine niya, very pessimistic about AI and surveillance din. Pero si Tona, hindi siya batayang sektor definitely. Siguro yung mata yung sa karaniwang tao.
Pwede ring metaphor yung feeling na madilim tapos may ginagawa ka tapos feeling mo may tao sa likod mo, tapos parang tumataas balahibo mo. May superstition kasi tayo around that, diba? Yung ganyang feeling siya, hindi siya mas visual for me. Parang may naghohover.
Ang iniisip ko ngayon, may nakilala kasi akong linguist na musician who works with Facebook and kaya ko siya nakilala kahit American siya is kasi tumugtog siya sa isang gig. Sabi niya sakin nun na gusto niya talaga umalis sa Facebook. Kaya siya nandito sa Pilipinas kasi may team dito na tinatranslate lahat ng pinaguusapan sa Messenger. Kaya may linguist sa team ng Messenger ng Facebook. Tapos gusto niya maging whistleblower, magsusulat talaga siya ng novel pero di niya pwedeng ipublish. Nakita ko na yung manuscript, actually, ang ganda. Pero nakakatakot lang gawin. So naiisip ko yung pito...parang symbol ng pagsusumbong or idea of disclosing. Related siya somehow. Ang pamboboso din siguro or peepholes. Diba sa Philippines, marami tayong dikit-dikit yung bahay or bubutasan mo lang tapos masisilipan mo na kapitbahay mo. Drones have been an image of surveillance na rin.
Nung Martial Law kasi, nakita na natin na gusto tayo kontrolin. Yan ang sagot ko sa surveillance, definitely may link dun. Yung ganyang klaseng itsura at design ng authoritarian government, definitely rooted yun dun. Pero pwede mo pa yun ipursue nang mas malayo. Pero dito na lang tayo magstart para mas malinaw. Siyempre pinagpapatuloy yan ngayon, anak niya [yung pangulo] eh, tapos anak din ni Rodrigo Duterte yung vice president and ang legacy naman [ni R. Duterte] ay ang drug war, na ginamit talaga yung surveillance para iwipe out ang maraming Pilipino. Napakatinding campaign sana yan, pero hinayaan lang natin kasi kailangan natin ng access sa GCash.
