Authorities warn drivers against fake information on social media
By John McPhaul
jpmcphaul@gmail.com
Transportation and Public Works (DTOP by its Spanish acronym) Secretary Eileen Vélez Vega and Highways & Transportation Authority (ACT by its Spanish acronym) Executive Director Edwin González Montalvo alerted the public on Thursday about false accounts created on the social network Twitter, in which erroneous information is provided about the AutoExpreso system and highways, creating confusion for drivers.
“We inform all AutoExpreso drivers and customers to be alert on social networks, as there are people who have dedicated themselves to misinforming and creating confusion with false and erroneous information in unofficial sources,” Vélez Vega said in a written statement. “We call on people to omit any information that is not the official [version] that we from the DTOP or the ACT provide.”
Among the disinformation posted on the web is an item that states that drivers can remove toll stickers from their car windows, the officials said.
Vélez Vega said people can stay informed of the official communications on her agency’s social networks Facebook/DTOP and Twitter @DTOP.
The ACT chief added that “I know that the situation that AutoExpreso has faced has been difficult, which has generated concern among system users, but we have been working hard from day one to resolve the matter, safeguarding and carefully watching over the information of our clients.”
“All AutoExpreso users can rest easy and it is not necessary to remove the seal from their vehicles, as has been erroneously stated by people who have lent themselves to disinformation,” González Montalvo said. “Once again we reiterate that the information that has circulated on social networks is totally false, and it lends itself to urging chaos and generating greater concern among citizens.”