Disinformation-for-hire: Buying and Selling Lies Online

Begin the lesson by asking the students who they think is the most to blame for the disinformation problem in the country. Some expected answers include trolls, politicians, bloggers, and the so-called “bobotante” (illiterate or dumb voters). Afterwards, you may segue to introducing the topic and objectives of the lesson. Invite the students to reflect on their existing beliefs and understanding of how disinformation operates and the people involved in it.

Divide the class into small groups and distribute the worksheet for the activity, “Guilty or not guilty.” Just using their existing understanding and views on the topic of disinformation, they will evaluate the roles that different groups in society play in our contemporary (dis)information ecosystem. Once they are done with the worksheet, let the students share their work with the class and compare with each other the rankings that they made and their justifications for it. 

Guilty or not guilty

Consider the following groups as parts of our contemporary (dis)information ecosystem. What roles do each group play in the (dis)information ecosystem?

• Disinformation peddlers and troll farm operators
• Political actors that hire disinformation operators
• Governments and policymaking bodies
• Internet and social media companies
• Traditional news media (newspaper, TV, radio, etc)
• Scientists, academics and researchers
• General public

1. Among the following groups, which one should take the most (and least) blame or accountability for the disinformation crisis? Arrange them from 1 (most accountable) to 7 (least accountable).
2. Should the burden of solving disinformation fall on just a single or few groups? Why or why not? 

After the activity, tell the students to set the worksheet aside as they will return to it later at the end of the session.

Who are the people behind disinformation in the Philippines?

The production of disinformation not only in the Philippines but around the world has become a widespread and professionalized industry – a shady yet lucrative business that engages various forms of official/unofficial, paid/unpaid, formal/informal, and illegal/above-board forms of digital labor. (Recall from Lesson 1: Unlike Misinformation which happens incidentally and has no intention to cause harm, Disinformation involves coordinated and strategic dissemination of falsehoods with clear intent to deceive or mislead. Disinformation is closely related to propaganda because it involves manipulating and misleading people intentionally to achieve political ends.)

In the 2018 study “Architects of Networked Disinformation”, professors Jonathan Ong and Jason Cabañes identified advertising and public relations (PR) strategists as “chief architects of networked disinformation”. Hired by political clients (e.g., political candidates, political parties), the “architects” set campaign objectives and mobilize anonymous digital influencers and community-level fake account operators to execute communication campaigns that involve the production and dissemination of false, misleading, hateful and manipulative content. 

Figure 3.1. “The Architecture of Networked Disinformation” (Ong and Cabañes, 2018)

The following are the key actors of networked disinformation in the Philippines according to Ong and Cabañes (2018):

• Politicians: hire disinformation strategists for their political campaigns
• Advertising and PR strategists: hired by political clients to design and lead disinformation campaigns
• Digital influencers (operators of one or more accounts with at least 50,000 followers across Facebook and X): translate campaign messages into shareable content that integrate humorous/inspirational/pop culture references
• Community-level fake account operators: infiltrate community groups and news pages to amplify reach and create “illusions of engagement”
• Civilians (unpaid): voluntarily offer their opinions and efforts to support the campaign messaging

As you discuss the different actors involved in the disinformation industry in the Philippines, ask your students what prior knowledge or questions they have about them. You may use the following guide questions:

• What do you know about Advertising and Public Relations (PR)? Did you expect that highly-paid professionals in this industry are involved in disinformation? Why or why not?
• Do you have an idea how much digital influencers earn by producing disinformation content?
• Have you ever encountered fake accounts online? How do you distinguish fake ones from personal accounts of real people?

To further understand the different experiences and motivations of the people involved in the disinformation industry, assign the students to do an empathy mapping exercise while viewing a documentary about disinformation during the 2022 national elections.

Empathy mapping: An empathy map is a graphic organizer that details people’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Use Habi Education Lab’s Empathy Map worksheet to put yourself in the shoes of a specific actor involved in the disinformation architecture. What are their actions and words? What is their everyday life like, according to their perspective? What could they be feeling and thinking about the issue? 

Documentary: Watch clips from the documentary “Internet Trolls: The Unseen Force Behind Philippines’ Politics” produced by CNA Insider, where they interviewed different individuals involved in disinformation campaigns during the 2022 national elections.

• Rosa, “chief architect” (15:00-18:38)
• Brandon, “digital influencer” (30:15-33:46)
• Sharon, “fake account operator” (5:37-9:54)

‘We do it for the money’

Disinformation is produced not only for political gain (e.g., to promote particular ideas, manipulate public debate, silence dissenters) but also for commercial gain (financial). Some people are in it only for the money. But how do digital workers engaged in political disinformation justify their work in spite of its toxicity and moral dilemmas? How do advertising and PR practitioners avoid being accountable for their complicity to the problem of disinformation?

Here are made-up statements based on interviews and descriptions from several references that discuss how disinformation workers at differents levels of the structure justify their work:

Ad and PR strategists or “Chief architects” would say...

• “I have a track record of successful promotional campaigns with big commercial brands and celebrities.”
• “They (political clients) need us more than we need them.”
• “‘Political consultancy’ is just a ‘sideline’ so this does not define my whole identity.”
• “This work excites me more than my everyday work handling corporate brands.”

Digital influencers would say...

• “This is no different from what I do for corporate brands and entertainment products.”
• “We get booked overnight in a five-star hotel or in a mansion in a gated village, isn't that fun?”
• “I don’t peddle actual fake news. It must be those ‘real supporters’ from the grassroots.”
• “Trabaho lang, walang personalan.”

Community-level fake account operators would say...

• “I need a raket/gig for extra income.”
• “Everyone is doing it anyway.”
• “I’m just trying to survive. I take any kind of work available.
• “I am not even paid to do this. I am only doing what I am being told.”

At the end of the session, tell the students to review their answers in the “Guilty or not guilty” worksheet. Ask them about their prior assumptions about trolls, bloggers, “keyboard warriors”, “bobotante”, and other groups involved in the disinformation ecosystem. If any, what common misconceptions should be reexamined and challenged?

Blaming the "bobotante"? Think again

In the Philippines, as in most parts of the world, attention is directed more on the political function of disinformation over its commercial dynamics. Populist leaders like former president Rodrigo Duterte are heavily blamed for mobilizing “low-income and less-educated voters” to become “armies of online trolls” (Grohmann and Ong, 2024). Besides corrupt politicians, it is then the poor, young, working-class voters – derogatorily called “bobotante” – who bear so much of the blame for the disinformation crisis in the country. On the other hand, the accountability of the elite and middle classes is overlooked.

Understanding the commercial dynamics of disinformation in the country, it makes sense to assign accountability to people at the top of the hierarchy – the “chief architects” and their political clients. What does this say about the kinds of counter-disinformation solutions that we need to advance in our society?

Play the Lesson 3 video explainer to recap the main takeaways of the lesson. 

After an engaging discussion about the people involved in the disinformation industry, you may proceed to Lesson 5 which tackles the topic of “fake news” laws and how disinformation should be regulated. Check out the complete list of PH Disinfo Hub lessons here.