The cyber attacks in the form of identity theft, mass cloning and hijacking of private data of social media accounts primarily directed against UP Cebu students, as well as activists and other critics of the Duterte regime and opponents of the Anti-Terror Bill, can only be the handiwork of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF–ELCAC) and the cyber unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Thus stressed the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in a statement released today 10 June 2020.
The CPP said it is highly likely that these cloned accounts will be used to “plant online evidence” to be used against critics of the Anti-Terror Bill. It also is a form of online harassment against people who are actively criticizing the Duterte regime’s incompetence, corruption and repression. The fascist message is clear: “We are watching you.”
The NTF-ELCAC and the AFP, the CPP said, have long been waging a campaign of red-baiting and vilification against activists using trolls and an army of online mercenaries.
US Embassy funding and training
“The AFP’s cyber unit was assembled around two years ago which was initially funded and directly trained by the US embassy in the name of “anti-terrorism.” Just a few days before the cyberattacks, the Philippine Army mounted a recruitment campaign for computer programmers and network specialists. The Army promised to pay their recruits at least ₱35,000 per month,” the CPP revealed.
The CPP called on the Filipino people to demand the NTF-ELCAC to reveal how much of the people’s money is being spent by the Duterte government in “cyber anti-terrorism” whose funds are likely being used to bankroll the cyber terror attacks of the past days.
“This dirty tactic is a preview of how the Anti-Terror Bill is set to be abused by the fascists against the people’s civil and political rights,” the CPP further stressed.
The CPP reported that in addition to attacks on social media, the Duterte regime’s fascist cybertroops have also been busy mounting an attack against the Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC), the Party’s website at cpp.ph, but the PRWC’s firewall has successfully staved off these attacks.#
NDF International Information Office
Utrecht, The Netherlands
