Careful when posting online or sharing on social media rumors or false information about Ebola as this may land you in jail.
In a report by Inquirer, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima warned the public that the government will prosecute those who spread false information online claiming that the deadly virus is already in the Philippines.
According to De Lima, those who are spreading hoaxes about Ebola may be prosecuted under Presidential Decree No. 90 which declares rumor-mongering and spreading false information as unlawful. Violators will be punished with a jail term from six months and one day, to six years. If done through the Internet, it will be punishable under Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The warning is a response to a hoax report that was published online (see image above) and has been circulating on social media. The Department of Health dismissed this report as a hoax and recently posted on their Facebook page that the Philippines is still Ebola-free.
source: Inquirer.net
RE: HOAX and IGMG
Only those who are lazy to search for information are vulnerable to hoaxes. Don’t just believe and share the information unless you are totally sure about it. Searching information online is free if you know how.
Most users have this post-and-share-all-you-can attitude without really having the time to search for info first. If there are hoaxes, then there are also lots of reliable sources of information online, hence, the term “IGMG.”