DICT pushes Meta to enhance measures against disinformation

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it will meet with representatives of Meta Platforms, Inc. to push for stronger regulations to address the spread of harmful disinformation on its platforms.

“We acknowledge Meta’s response, which highlights the measures they are implementing to curb the spread of harmful disinformation on their platforms… However, the interventions highlighted in their reply fall short of directly addressing the urgency of the situation and the specific, time-bound actions we have requested,” the agency said in a statement on Monday.

This came after the DICT, Department of Justice (DoJ), and the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) have asked Meta to immediately address and implement measures to stop “harmful disinformation” on its platforms.

The DICT said it is demanding clear commitments, faster enforcement mechanisms, and results that is in line with risks the Philippines is facing today.

“The DICT will hold a meeting with Meta to push for concrete, time-bound actions to better protect Filipinos online. If these discussions do not result in meaningful improvements, the government will not hesitate to pursue stronger regulatory and enforcement measures,” it said.

Meta, formerly Facebook, Inc., is the company that owns social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

“At a time when false and misleading information can trigger real-world harm that can affect public order and economic stability, we find the general descriptions of existing policies, as underscored in their reply, insufficient,” DICT said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose