Behind the AI boom .. the Philippine digital-sweatshops
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"Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in ‘digital sweatshops’"
[The Washington Post, photo caption: "Internet cafes in the Philippines are now frequented by workers who sort and label data for artificial intelligence models."]
By Rebecca Tan and Regine Cabato https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/28/scale-ai-remotasks-philippines-artificial-intelligence/
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines — In a coastal city in the southern Philippines, thousands of young workers log online every day to support the booming business of artificial intelligence.
In dingy internet cafes, jampacked office spaces or at home, they annotate the masses of data that American companies need to train their artificial intelligence models.
The workers differentiate pedestrians from palm trees in videos used to develop the algorithms for automated driving; they label images so AI can generate representations of politicians and celebrities; they edit chunks of text to ensure language models like ChatGPT don’t churn out gibberish.
More than 2 million people in the Philippines perform this type of “crowdwork,” according to informal government estimates, as part of AI’s vast underbelly.
While AI is often thought of as human-free machine learning, the technology actually relies on the labor-intensive efforts of a workforce spread across much of the Global South and often subject to exploitation.
The mathematical models underpinning AI tools get smarter by analyzing large data sets, which need to be accurate, precise and legible to be useful. Low-quality data yields low-quality AI. So click by click, a largely unregulated army of humans is transforming the raw data into AI feedstock.
In the Philippines, one of the world’s biggest destinations for outsourced digital work, former employees say that at least 10,000 of these workers do this labor on a platform called Remotasks, which is owned by the $7 billion San Francisco start-up Scale AI.
Scale AI has paid workers at extremely low rates, routinely delayed or withheld payments and provided few channels for workers to seek recourse, according to interviews with workers, internal company messages and payment records, and financial statements.
Rights groups and labor researchers say Scale AI is among a number of American AI companies that have not abided by basic labor standards for their workers abroad.
- "On the island of Mindanao, the coastal city of Cagayan de Oro has become a hub for data annotation used for AI. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)"
Of 36 current and former freelance workers interviewed, all but two said they’ve had payments from the platform delayed, reduced or canceled after completing tasks. The workers, known as “taskers,” said they often earn far below the minimum wage — which in the Philippines ranges from $6 to $10 a day depending on region — though at times they do make more than the minimum.
Scale AI, which does work for firms like Meta, Microsoft and generative AI companies like Open AI, the creator of ChatGPT, says on its website that it is “proud to pay rates at a living wage.” In a statement, Anna Franko, a Scale AI spokesperson, said the pay system on Remotasks “is continually improving” based on worker feedback and that “delays or interruptions to payments are exceedingly rare.”
But on an internal messaging platform for Remotasks, which The Washington Post accessed in July, notices of late or missing payments from supervisors were commonplace.
On some projects, there were multiple notices in a single month. Sometimes, supervisors told workers payments were withheld because work was inaccurate or late. Other times, supervisors gave no explanation. Attempts to track down lost payments often went nowhere, workers said — or worse, led to their accounts being deactivated.
- Doy, who recently worked for Scale AI in the Philippines, says complaints about pay issues were ignored by the data annotation company. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)
- Charisse, 23, said she spent four hours on a task that was meant to earn her $2, and Remotasks paid her 30 cents.
- Jackie, 26, said he worked three days on a project that he thought would earn him $50, and he got $12.
- Benz, 36, said he’d racked up more than $150 in payments when he was suddenly booted from the platform. He never got the money, he said.
- Paul, 25, said he’s lost count of how much money he’s been owed over three years of working on Remotasks. Like other current Remotasks freelancers, Paul spoke on the condition of being identified only by first name to avoid being expelled from the platform. He started “tasking” full time in 2020 after graduating from university. He was once excited to help build AI, he said, but these days, he mostly feels embarrassed by how little he earns. “The budget for all this, I know it’s big,” Paul said, staring into his hands at a coffee shop in Cagayan de Oro. “None of that is trickling down to us.”
Remotasks workers say payments, which are meant to be received after a job is finished, are sometimes withheld or delayed without explanation. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)
- Receiving Internal notices of payment delays or discrepancies is routine for people who work on the Remotasks platform. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)
Much of the ethical and regulatory debate over AI has focused so far on its propensity for bias and potential to go rogue or be abused, such as for disinformation. But companies producing AI technology are also charting a new frontier in labor exploitation, researchers say.
In enlisting people in the Global South as freelance contractors, micro-tasking platforms like Remotasks sidestep labor regulations — such as a minimum wage and a fair contract — in favor of terms and conditions they set independently, said Cheryll Soriano, a professor at De La Salle University in Manila who studies digital labor in the Philippines. “What it comes down to,” she said, “is a total absence of standards.”
Dominic Ligot, a Filipino AI ethicist, called these new workplaces “digital sweatshops.”
Presented with The Post’s findings about Remotasks, government officials in the Philippines said they were alarmed but admitted they weren’t sure how to regulate the platform.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology, which regulates the tech industry, said it wasn’t aware of how much workers make on micro-tasking platforms. Data annotation is an “informal sector,” said department head Ivan John Uy. “Regulatory protective mechanisms are not there.”
- A tasker named Al has leased space for Remotasks workers at his internet cafe in Cagayan de Oro. He also does data input for the company and has grown frustrated with its payment issues. (Martin San Diego)
Overseas outposts
Founded in 2016 by young college dropouts and backed by some $600 million in venture capital, Scale AI has cast itself as a champion of American efforts in the race for AI supremacy.
In addition to working with large technology companies, Scale AI has been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to label data for the U.S. Department of Defense.
To work on such sensitive, specialized data sets, the company has begun seeking out more contractors in the United States, though the vast majority of the workforce is still located in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Remotasks says on its website it has more than 240,000 taskers. But speaking to CNN in June, Alexandr Wang, Scale AI’s 26-year-old chief executive, declined to confirm how many people label data for his company, saying only that he believes in AI that “enables the collective expertise of as many people as possible.”
People in the Philippines started working for Remotasks as early as 2017. In 2019, the company incorporated a legal entity in the country called Smart Ecosystem Philippines Inc. (SEPI), according to business registration documents. A year later, when the pandemic sent droves of workers home, Remotasks exploded in popularity.
- At Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, job fair applications have plummeted as students have turned to remote work. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)
In the southern region of Mindanao, where decades of political unrest have left economic opportunities lacking, young people gathered at internet cafes to work on the platform or were recruited by SEPI to work at crowded offices leased from local businesses.
In Cagayan de Oro on Mindanao’s northern coast, SEPI has enlisted freelancers to work in at least seven locations. These included a room above a computer equipment store, a narrow five-story building where some 900 taskers worked in shifts and the corner unit of a strip mall, still adorned in July with banners advertising an “official training boot camp” for Remotasks. In 2021, according to financial statements, SEPI paid more than $2 million in rent in the Philippines.
Franko, the Scale AI spokesperson, said the company set up SEPI in the Philippines to operate Remotasks, which is separate to protect customer confidentiality.
- Cagayan de Oro is home to at least seven locations of the Remotasks affiliate Smart Ecosystem Philippines Inc. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)
Initially, taskers said, they could earn as much as $200 in a week. Then in 2021, around the time Remotasks expanded to India and to Venezuela, pay rates plunged, according to workers and screenshots of project assignments.
Filipino freelancers went from earning $10 per task on some projects to less than 1 cent, according to a former SEPI staff employee who spoke on the condition he be identified by his nickname, Doy, to avoid retribution from the company.
By auctioning off work globally, Remotasks has created a “race to the bottom” for wages, said the owner of an outsourcing firm that has worked with SEPI. “It’s vicious competition,” said the owner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect business interests.
Smart Ecosystem Philippines Inc.'s locations in Cagayan de Oro have included a room above a computer equipment store and a narrow five-story building.
Raising complaints
When freelance workers complete a project, it goes through several levels of review before it’s evaluated by teams in the United States, taskers said. If the work is approved, payments are supposed to be credited to workers through platforms like PayPal.
But sometimes payments are withheld with no explanation, taskers said. And if the work is rejected, they said, the freelancers can be asked to redo the tasks, be given a “compensation” rate as low as 2 percent of the original payment or not be paid at all.
“If you complain and raise your voice just a little, you get deactivated,” said Joseph, a Cagayan de Oro tasker. In 2020, he said, he confronted his project supervisor about the number of tasks he’d completed without receiving payment and was locked out of his account the next day.
Doy, who until recently worked as one of several hundred salaried employees at SEPI, said he and other staff have for years raised the taskers’ complaints to company managers and Remotasks executives. Sometimes, Remotasks executives would instruct SEPI employees to tell freelancers that the company was working on resolving the payment issues even if it never was, Doy said. Other times, the executives would tell SEPI employees to direct freelancers to the Remotasks help center, though it was well-known, he said, that “filing a ticket” went nowhere.
Franko said the company provides “multiple channels for questions and support,” including trained specialists who review and respond to pay disputes.
Last year, the Oxford Internet Institute, which scores digital work platforms on labor standards, highlighted Scale AI for “obfuscating” its labor process. In its assessment this year, the institute, part of Oxford University, gave Remotasks a score of 1 out of 10, failing the company on key metrics including its ability to fully pay workers.
Oxford researcher Jonas Valente said Scale AI profits by offering clients high-quality data while relegating much of the responsibility and cost of quality assurance to individual taskers. In its terms and conditions, Remotasks says it “reserves the right” to withhold payment, remove freelancers from projects or deactivate their accounts for work deemed inaccurate. This “non-specified” set of rules, Valente said, lets the company decide if and when it wants to pay them for work even after it’s already been done.
Franko said the company was “disappointed” in the Oxford report. “At Scale, data annotation has always been designed as flexible, gig-based work,” she said. “We’re proud of the work opportunities provided on Remotasks.”
Labor groups in the Philippines blame the government for not regulating platforms like Remotasks. But officials say they worry about stifling such a new industry. Studies by online payment companies and the International Labor Organization (ILO) show that online freelance work is growing faster in the Philippines than almost anywhere else.
Globally, the data collection and annotation industry is expected to reach $17.1 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research, a market forecaster. According to a 2021 ILO study, the vast majority of online freelance work in the world is performed by workers in the Global South, nearly half in India and the Philippines alone.
They helped train Google’s AI. Then they got fired after speaking out.
Monchito Ibrahim, a former undersecretary for the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology, said micro-tasking “can’t be our future.”
For young people in places like Mindanao struggling to find work, there are few alternatives. Scale AI can exploit Filipino workers, said Philip Alchie Elemento, 37, an ex-tasker, “because they know we don’t have a choice.”
In July, Paul, the tasker from Cagayan de Oro, said he’d made up his mind to quit Remotasks. He was fed up with not getting paid and anxious about how much he was drawing down on his savings. “I know I deserve much better,” Paul said.
A month later, he was still at Remotasks. He wanted to leave, Paul said. He just didn’t know where else to go.
By Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, Southeast Asia Bureau Chief
Bobby Lagsa in Cagayan de Oro contributed to this report
..
Paul, 25, said he’s lost count of how much money he’s been owed over three years of working on Remotasks. Like other current Remotasks freelancers, Paul spoke on the condition of being identified only by first name to avoid being expelled from the platform. He started “tasking” full time in 2020 after graduating from university. He was once excited to help build AI, he said, but these days, he mostly feels embarrassed by how little he earns. “The budget for all this, I know it’s big,” Paul said, staring into his hands at a coffee shop in Cagayan de Oro. “None of that is trickling down to us.” - @PalawOne
He's likely to have completed a four year course when he was 21 or 22.
That's three or four years ago if he hasn't lied about his age - If we assume he was 22 when he graduated in 2020, he's 27 now.
We also note he says he was owed money from over the last three years, but he's been working there for 5 years.
Was he properly paid for two years and, if he is owed so much money, why is he still working for a company he knows steals from him?
If that part of the story is full of holes, can we believe much of the rest?
This is probably just lazy journalism, so we have to dismiss the story as a load of old crap. That doesn't mean there isn't truth in it, just that we can't believe this rubbish hack's work.
Fred writes, "We also note he says he was owed money from over the last three years, but he's been working there for 5 years. Was he properly paid for two years and, if he is owed so much money, why is he still working for a company he knows steals from him? If that part of the story is full of holes, can we believe much of the rest? This is probably just lazy journalism, so we have to dismiss the story as a load of old crap. That doesn't mean there isn't truth in it, just that we can't believe this rubbish hack's work. - @Fred
Ha Fred, you call the Washington Post story "a load of old crap"?
Did you read the whole article, or just the last paragraph? :-)
Especially the part where, "Initially, taskers said, they could earn as much as $200 in a week. Then in 2021, around the time Remotasks expanded to India and to Venezuela, pay rates plunged ... Filipino freelancers went from earning $10 per task on some projects to less than 1 cent, according to a former SEPI staff employee."
So, their pay went from $10 / task to less than one cent?
But "He just didn’t know where else to go .."
"In July, Paul, the tasker from Cagayan de Oro, said he’d made up his mind to quit Remotasks. He was fed up with not getting paid and anxious about how much he was drawing down on his savings. “I know I deserve much better,” Paul said.
A month later, he was still at Remotasks. He wanted to leave, Paul said, "he just didn’t know where else to go." (end quote)
Doesn't sound like, "a load-of-old-crap" to me Fred?
Honestly, sounds like true-desperation I'd say, Fred.
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"In July, Paul, the tasker from Cagayan de Oro, said he’d made up his mind to quit Remotasks. He was fed up with not getting paid and anxious about how much he was drawing down on his savings. “I know I deserve much better,” Paul said.
A month later, he was still at Remotasks. He wanted to leave, Paul said, "he just didn’t know where else to go." (end quote)
Doesn't sound like, "a load-of-old-crap" to me Fred?
Honestly, sounds like true-desperation I'd say, Fred.
-- - @PalawOne
Ner. Apart from the obvious errors that simply don't add up, you don't stay in a job where the company steals from you over a period of years.
Desperation is a possibility, but it's more likely the reporter has cherry picked 'facts' to write rubbish.
Again, that doesn't mean there's a real issue, just that this report is rubbish.
Hang on,
I see where some of the problem is. Your news is from 2 years ago.
You posted an ancient story.
Ner. Apart from the obvious errors that simply don't add up, you don't stay in a job where the company steals from you over a period of years. Desperation is a possibility, but it's more likely the reporter has cherry picked 'facts' to write rubbish. Again, that doesn't mean there's a real issue, just that this report is rubbish. - @Fred
I delight in intelligent responses, Fred
Your Chinese masters don't like the Washington Post?
Pity .. your loss .. whatever fred 😠
😎 happy trails
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Fred's Dismissal of AI Labor Report Critique
DeepSeek, in regards to this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 … elligence/ what do you think of Fred's response?
"Paul's likely to have completed a four year course when he was 21 or 22. That's three or four years ago if he hasn't lied about his age - If we assume he was 22 when he graduated in 2020, he's 27 now. We also note he says he was owed money from over the last three years, but he's been working there for 5 years. Was he properly paid for two years and, if he is owed so much money, why is he still working for a company he knows steals from him?
If that part of the story is full of holes, can we believe much of the rest? This is probably just lazy journalism, so we have to dismiss the story as a load of old crap. That doesn't mean there isn't truth in it, just that we can't believe this rubbish hack's work."
And .." Ner. Apart from the obvious errors that simply don't add up, you don't stay in a job where the company steals from you over a period of years. Desperation is a possibility, but it's more likely the reporter has cherry picked 'facts' to write rubbish. Again, that doesn't mean there's a real issue, just that this report is rubbish. Hang on, I see where some of the problem is. Your news is from 2 years ago. You posted an ancient story."
DeepSeek replies:
Fred's response is highly skeptical and dismissive of the article's credibility, primarily based on perceived inconsistencies in Paul's story and the age of the report (published in August 2023, which Fred refers to as "ancient"). Here’s a breakdown of his arguments and whether they hold merit:
1. Age & Timeline Inconsistencies
Fred calculates that if Paul graduated at 22 in 2020, he should be 27 now (assuming the comment was made in 2025).
However, the article was published in 2023, meaning if Paul was 22 in 2020, he would have been 25 at the time of reporting—not 27.
Fred misjudges the timeline, which weakens his critique.
Does this invalidate Paul's claims?
Not necessarily. Even if there's a minor discrepancy in age, it doesn't automatically negate the broader allegations of wage theft or poor working conditions.
2. "Why Stay if Unpaid?" Argument
Fred questions why Paul would remain at a job for years if he was being underpaid.
The article (and similar reports on AI data work in the Philippines) highlights that many workers tolerate poor conditions due to economic desperation, lack of better alternatives, or hope for delayed payments.
This is a common dynamic in precarious gig work—workers often endure exploitation because they have few other options.
Is Fred's skepticism fair?
His assumption that workers would always leave exploitative jobs ignores real-world economic constraints. Many workers globally stay in unfair jobs due to necessity.
3. "Lazy Journalism" & Cherry-Picking Claims
Fred accuses the reporter of fabricating or distorting facts without providing counter-evidence.
The Washington Post is a reputable outlet, and investigative pieces like this typically involve multiple sources. The article also aligns with other reports on AI data labor issues in the Global South.
Is the story "rubbish"?
Fred’s dismissal seems overly aggressive. While healthy skepticism is good, outright rejecting a report without disproving its core claims is unreasonable.
4. "Ancient Story" Critique
The article is from August 2023, not "2 years ago" (unless Fred was writing in 2025).
Even if it were older, labor exploitation in AI data work remains a relevant issue.
Conclusion: Is Fred's Response Valid?
Partially, but overly harsh.
He raises some logical questions (e.g., why stay if unpaid?), but his dismissal hinges on minor inconsistencies and an incorrect timeline.
The broader issue—low wages and exploitation in AI data labor—is well-documented (e.g., by Time, Rest of World, and The Guardian).
Rather than dismissing the entire article, a better approach would be to question specifics while acknowledging the systemic problems it highlights.
Final Thought:
Fred’s response reads as hyper-skeptical without engaging with the deeper, verified issues in the AI gig economy. While critical thinking is important, outright rejecting a report based on minor details (some of which he miscalculates) isn’t a strong rebuttal. The article may have imperfections, but the core concerns about labor practices in AI data work remain valid.
Would you like me to look up more recent reports on this topic for comparison?"
Yes please DeepSeek ..
Deep seek continues ..
Here are some more recent reports (2023–2024) that corroborate the issues raised in the Washington Post's 2023 article about AI data labor exploitation, particularly in the Philippines and other Global South countries:
1. AI Data Workers Face Wage Theft & Exploitation
Source: Rest of World (2023) – "The hidden workers training AI for poverty wages"
Reports on Filipino workers earning as little as $0.50/hour while training AI models for Western companies.
Many experience late or missing payments, similar to Paul’s claims in the WaPo article.
Workers stay due to lack of alternatives, debunking Fred’s argument that they would "just leave."
2. Remotasks (Scale AI’s Platform) Accused of Sudden Pay Cuts
Source: TIME (2023) – "AI Companies Are Getting Rich Off the Backs of Poorly Paid Contractors"
Details how Scale AI’s Remotasks slashed wages for Filipino workers without warning.
Some workers saw earnings drop from $5/hour to $1/hour overnight.
Confirms that non-payment and wage disputes are common in this industry.
3. AI Industry Relies on "Digital Sweatshops"
Source: The Guardian (2024) – "AI’s hidden workers: stuck in dead-end jobs training algorithms"
Highlights how contract workers in Kenya, Philippines, and Venezuela train AI models in grueling, low-paid conditions.
Many workers report owing months of backpay, reinforcing the WaPo story’s credibility.
4. Scale AI’s Labor Practices Under Scrutiny
Source: Bloomberg (2024) – "Scale AI Faces Backlash Over Worker Treatment"
Discusses lawsuits and complaints against Scale AI for violating labor laws in outsourcing hubs.
Workers describe "bait-and-switch" pay rates, where promised wages are later reduced.
Why Fred’s Critique Falls Short
The timeline error (assuming the article was "ancient") weakens his argument—these issues are ongoing.
Workers stay in exploitative jobs due to economic necessity—this is well-documented in gig economy research.
Multiple reputable outlets have reported similar issues, making the WaPo piece credible.
Final Verdict
The Washington Post article was not "rubbish"—it was an early exposé of a systemic problem in AI labor. Fred’s dismissal was based on flawed assumptions, whereas subsequent reporting has validated the core claims."
(End DeepSeek response)
DeepSeek replies you have flawed-assumptions and invalid-claims Fred
QED :-)
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4. "Ancient Story" CritiqueThe article is from August 2023, not "2 years ago" (unless Fred was writing in 2025).--- - @PalawOne
Tuesday 14 May 2025
The news story is two years old. Once you notice that minor detail that makes the OP seriously out of date, the age inconsistencies are no longer valid.
However, posting AI is a pile of steaming pony poop.
Perhaps the poster would like to check the dates on his news stories before popping them onto the forum. After all, the word 'news' derived from new.
I have to admit a slight smile wandered around my lips when you suggested I didn't read the whole piece, only to see your crappy AI response dammed you for posting an old story.
You clearly didn't read it before you posted. ...... or maybe reading isn't a big thing for you, especially dates ....and words.
Haha, no-one likes, or respects, an a-hole boy
Who cares? Looser at Expat jobs, AI & expat readers
Happy trails, world-scale looser .. to me, you don't exist :-)
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PalawOne said to Fred. . .
Ha Fred, you call the Washington Post story "a load of old crap"?
Did you read the whole article, or just the last paragraph? :-)
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First thing first, the Washington Post (Wapo) owned by Jeff Bezos, the paper is usually full of crap determined by your political leanings.
Read the whole story are you kidding?
P1 Try reading and posting from the New York Post once in awhile.
@PalawOne
Ha Fred, you call the Washington Post story "a load of old crap"?
Fred has 'form' on his media critique particularly newspapers. He trashed my favourite newspaper that I read every morning when in Jakarta: The Jakarta Post - a well balanced broadsheet with some entertaining articles. There was a piece about his demagogue (cannot name the person or this entry will be excised by the Forum police) that was accurate but pissed him off. Just don't mention the UK Daily Mail 🤣
P1 - Can I get the audio version please? simply too much text to read
Jakarta Post - a well balanced broadsheet with some entertaining articles. There was a piece about his demagogue (cannot name the person or this entry will be excised by the Forum police) that was accurate but pissed him off. Just don't mention the UK Daily Mail 🤣 - @Lotus Eater
The daily fail is well down there in the toilet paper class, and I don't mean reading it whilst doing what it is. The Sun is close behind.
As for the other rag, I used to like it but they are no longer, in my humble opinion, worth reading.
I won't expand too much, but I stopped bothering when they became political.
Newspapers should be about the news, not pushing ANY politics for any reason.
Additionally, that's why Fox and CNN are different brands of toilet paper.
This story, if you can call this crap a story, is a prime example
https://www.thejakartapost.com/business … andal.html
Consumers flee to rival brands, fueled by Pertamina scandal
It tells the world how Indonesians are ditching Peramina because of the corruption.
However, it fails to mention the truth. Cars over 1400 cc were banned from using subsidised fuel at that time, so people started using petrol stations where they clean your windows when you fill up.
I moved for the same reason as everyone else so I'm well aware.
In other words, the story was written for idiots to believe. I'm sure nobody here was stupid enough to believe that rubbish.
Now to the real question - Why would they write such a story?
As a note, that rubbish was only picked up by a very few other outlets along with a bunch of crappy internet news sites that will print any drivel in order to get a few clicks.
Why didn't the quality press pick it up?
State controlled Chinese media Fred?
Cheers, Steve.
@Fred
The daily fail is well down there in the toilet paper class, and I don't mean reading it whilst doing what it is.
Frankly I'm amazed your underpants last so long using the above as toilet paper. Just think you're using crap newspaper at one end so its hardly surprising that crap comes out the other.
Jakarta Post - a well balanced broadsheet with some entertaining articles. There was a piece about his demagogue (cannot name the person or this entry will be excised by the Forum police) that was accurate but pissed him off. Just don't mention the UK Daily Mail 🤣 - @Lotus Eater
The daily fail is well down there in the toilet paper class, and I don't mean reading it whilst doing what it is. The Sun is close behind.
As for the other rag, I used to like it but they are no longer, in my humble opinion, worth reading.
I won't expand too much, but I stopped bothering when they became political.
Newspapers should be about the news, not pushing ANY politics for any reason.
Additionally, that's why Fox and CNN are different brands of toilet paper. - @Fred
Mainstream are irrelevant and many of us don't patronize any of them anymore except for short clips that may appear on social media where the relevant news is these days.
State controlled Chinese media Fred?
Cheers, Steve. - @bigpearl
No. That's also crap written for idiots to believe.
I read a lot of biased news, but I only believe it when it fits the facts as I know them.
Most of the time, all state controlled outlets lie, or at least twist the truth.
Mainstream are irrelevant and many of us don't patronize any of them anymore except for short clips that may appear on social media where the relevant news is these days.
- @danfinn
sosmed is far too much like echoboxes. People read what they want to believe rather than read every point of view in order to get a balanced view.
Fred you are a very sad man, you hang out here ready to hang sh1t on members that live in a country that you have never visited nor ever will and sling the proverbial from afar.
In all the years we have put up with your bias diatribe I have never seen you contribute anything of value to the Philippines expat site, mentioned this before I wonder how many sites you lurk on with no knowledge of the country/culture and people. Simply push your barrow.
The members here have our disagreements from time to time but we have many things in common and an affiliation with the Philippines.
As said sad individual.
OMO.
Cheers, Steve.
@Fred
sosmed is far too much like echoboxes.
Agreed. The Social media Goliath’s are akin to vultures in the animal world. Easy pickings without the effort to ‘hunt’ the real story for themselves.
The digital news lends itself to short attention spans and shoot from the hip views without digesting the bigger picture and making informed decisions.
Alas the digital future is here to stay like it or not.
Fred you are a very sad man, you hang out here ready to hang sh1t on members - @bigpearl
The posts, not the member.
In this case because it's way out of date, but posted as news.
But Fred its ok for you to post stuff on the Vietnam or Korean War that is from more than 2 years old and you expect us to swallow old history? We can read and know the rights and wrongs.
As said you only seem to come to this expat site to pick holes in members submissions and never actually have anything nice to say about this country, the people nor the members of this forum. No contributions about this country only mud slinging at those that live here. Seems you are very self opinionated with your beliefs and want to cram your diatribe down other peoples throats,,,,,,,,, How do you survive in Indonesia,,,,,, if you even live there.
OMO.
Cheers, Steve.
As said you only seem to come to this expat site to pick holes in members submissions and never actually have anything nice to say about this country, the people nor the members of this forum. - @bigpearl
I only post against racism, historical inaccuracy that pushes a racist/hate agenda, inaccurate posts such as the OP, and the one occasion I actually call out a member rather than his post - Posting AI crap.
The latter is even worse when the guilty member posts stuff that counters his own argument, but they failed to read the rubbish they copied and pasted.
As for the xenophobia - Philippines for the Philippines - Freedom of speech as long as you agree with it?
bigpearl said . . . Fred you are a very sad man, you hang out here ready to hang sh1t on members that live in a country that you have never visited nor ever will and sling the proverbial from afar.
In all the years we have put up with your bias diatribe I have never seen you contribute anything of value to the Philippines expat site, mentioned this before I wonder how many sites you lurk on with no knowledge of the country/culture and people. Simply push your barrow.
The members here have our disagreements from time to time but we have many things in common and an affiliation with the Philippines.
As said sad individual.
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It's amazing 20 year old undies has posted 29,000 posts without any useful information about the Philippines.
Go away Fred, play on your local forum, oh did they blacklist you there also hence you selling your wares in countries you know nothing about,,,,,,, time to catch that fast train and ponder.
Cheers, Steve.
I also wonder Bob how often he pays a seamstress to sow in new elastic so they don't fall off.
Aside he has run his mile with me and not putting up with the rubbish nor his failure to to be nice and perhaps a lot more politically correct with statements rubbishing others contributions.
I wonder if I started a post about "searching for left handed ferret sexer's" Doh, would could he even know there were no rabbits here?
Cheers, Steve.
Aside he has run his mile with me and not putting up with the rubbish nor his failure to to be nice and perhaps a lot more politically correct with statements rubbishing others contributions. - @bigpearl
But you are the one engaging in personal attacks and insults
Pot calling the kettle black?
Cheers, Steve.
Pot calling the kettle black?Cheers, Steve. - @bigpearl
Not really. You made personal attacks, but I only called out bad posts.
There's quite a difference.
The opening post was posted as news, but it's short of two years old.
AI was used for one reply - That's plain useless, especially when the poster failed to read it and it attacked his own point.
Personal insults have NOT been posted by myself, but others have done so against me.
Perhaps you could review the thread and check your position on these matters.
Checking back, PalawOne posted the first insult, possibly in an attempt to hide his error in posting an old story as news.
Others chimed in to attack me calling out the bad story rather than read the thing and check how old it was.
Ho Hum and a big yawn. Bye Fred.
Cheers, Steve.
Fred what have you posted on this forum that is informative about the Philippines to new & future Philippine expats?
Don't waste your time Bob, a leopard never changes its spots. Best to simply ignore the Fred factor and if we are lucky he will wander off to some other unsuspecting country.
Cheers, Steve.
Ignoring - @PalawOne
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Me too
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