AT the beginning of October last year, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced a new requirement for candidates and their associated political organizations in the May 2025 midterm elections to register their social media accounts by Dec. 30, 2024 or face severe penalties up to and including potential disqualification. The new rules were necessary, Comelec said, to curb the unchecked disinformation and smear tactics on social media platforms that have plagued the last several elections in the country.