By Hannah Torregoza
Tech giant Meta has pledged to cooperate with Philippine authorities by sharing user data in cases of imminent threats of violence, Senator Risa Hontiveros announced on Aug. 28.
The commitment was secured during a roundtable meeting at Meta’s Asia‑Pacific headquarters in Singapore, where Philippine officials pressed the company to take responsibility for the spread of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) on its platforms, particularly Facebook.
Hontiveros said her delegation pushed Meta to agree to provide subscriber information and traffic data when signs of potential attacks emerge.
“Now that high‑ranking Meta officials themselves have pledged to be more proactive regarding potential threats of violence, action against such threats must be swifter,” she stressed.
The senator noted that Meta’s cooperation aligns with the government’s priority measure, the Child Online Safety and Protection Act, which builds on safeguards under Republic Act 11930, the Anti‑OSAEC and Anti‑CSAEM Act. She expressed optimism that Meta’s promise will be enforced once the bill is passed.
“I gave strict instructions to the staff who met with Meta: It must be made clear to them that they cannot profit from Filipinos on Facebook without taking responsibility for the content,” Hontiveros said, vowing to hold the company accountable.
