Red-tagging could be a way for the authorities to suppress those who are opposing them. As red-tagging often results in harassment, this would contribute in stopping people in exercising their freedom to voice out their opinions. Consequently, this makes the desire of those with power to inflict fear and intimidate people one of the causes of red-tagging. Additionally, it could also be rooted back in 1949 wherein Committee on Un-Filipino Activities (CUFA) was formed due to the configuration of a communist group, Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (Hukbalahap). Even in the following years, the said committee pursued their goals and named various individuals and groups as ‘communists’. Accordingly, this resulted with just more protests and violence.
Moreover, red-tagging is a practice where authorities label certain individuals or groups as communists or terrorists, and is often caused by misinformation, false intelligence, or biased reporting. In some cases, red-tagging is used as a tool for harassment, intimidation, or silencing of critics, activists, or opposition groups. The rise of social media has also contributed to the spread of false information, leading to the red-tagging of innocent individuals or groups. Additionally, the lack of accountability and oversight in some countries' law enforcement and intelligence agencies can perpetuate red-tagging. The exercise of power and control by dominant groups can also precipitate red-tagging as a means of harassment and intimidation.