The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is pushing for stronger legal authority to dismantle organized troll farms that weaponize fake news and artificial intelligence online, warning that current cybercrime laws fall short against coordinated deception.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag revealed that while existing legislation effectively targets individual cybercriminals and scammers, it lacks provisions specifically addressing organized troll operations.
“We’re always hearing about troll farms but we have no legal basis or legal cover to go after them. We are probably proposing a bill that will enact into law the monitoring of these because this is not specified in the law,” Matibag explained.
The rise of fake accounts, coordinated social media behavior, and AI-generated content has sparked growing alarm, particularly during political controversies.
Reports indicate that some politicians and corporations employ these networks to distort narratives, spread hate, and launch calculated digital attacks.
Despite the legal gaps, the NBI has already taken down over 2,000 fake accounts since Matibag assumed office.
“We already took down fake accounts. We just stopped reporting it but we’re doing it on a day-to-day basis. We have coordination already with Meta and they’re very supportive,” he noted.
Matibag clarified that enforcement remains straightforward when fake accounts commit defined offenses under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, such as financial fraud or “love scams” tied to defunct Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
However, troll farms present a unique challenge by engineering coordinated networks that make manufactured lies appear organic and credible to the public.
The threat intensifies when real users unwittingly amplify these falsehoods through legitimate accounts. To counter this, the NBI is actively acquiring advanced technological tools to detect and dismantle these networks.
“We are in the process of procuring tools to combat this,” Matibag said.
The NBI chief also raised red flags over deepfakes and AI-generated media that mimic real individuals, emphasizing that unauthorized digital clones infringe on personal rights.
“That’s the one part of our proposal to Congress that should be regulated because it somehow also violates your privacy from my point of view,” he added.
The NBI plans to collaborate closely with lawmakers to draft a comprehensive bill targeting AI misuse, fake accounts, and organized online deception, ensuring law enforcement operates with clear statutory backing.