No Facebook ban for now after cooperation with gov’t –  Palace

Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang on Thursday, Aug. 27, said there is no move to ban Facebook for now after the social media platform showed cooperation with the government in taking down violent content and false information.

The clarification came two days after the Palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was open to proposals to ban Facebook and other online platforms if they failed to address content that could threaten public safety or harm young people. 

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the government received updated information that Facebook has been responding to requests for content removal.

“Noong Martes po ay nasabi po natin dahil ito din po ang nakita ng CICC at ng DICT. Ngunit makalipas ng dalawang araw ay binigyan po tayo ng impormasyon na ang Facebook – particular ang Facebook ay tumutugon naman daw po sa mga dapat na gawin especially sa mabilisang pag-takedown ng mga fake news,” Castro said.

[Translation: On Tuesday, we said this because this was also what the CICC (Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center) and DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) had observed. But two days later, we were informed that Facebook, particularly Facebook, has been responding to what needs to be done, especially in quickly taking down fake news.]

Castro said the latest development showed that Facebook was not proving difficult for the government to deal with.

“Kung open man ang pangulo, sa ngayon ang pinakahuling impormasyon, wala namang masyadong nagiging problema ang ating pamahalaan sa Facebook,” she said.

[Translation: While the president may be open to it, based on the latest information, the government is not encountering significant problems with Facebook at this time.]

Castro stressed that no ban had been imposed and the platform will remain accessible.

“Wala pa naman po kasing bina-ban. Katulad po nang sinabi natin, lahat naman po ay inaaral,” Castro said.

[Translation: Nothing has been banned. As we have said, everything is still being studied.]

Castro said Facebook’s response to government takedown requests was a “good sign” and urged other social media platforms to similarly cooperate with authorities.

“Ang huling impormasyong ibinigay po sa atin ay may mga pagkakataon na kapag kinakailangang i-takedown ang isang post na nagpapakita ng karahasan, fake news ay tumutugon naman ang Facebook,” she said.

[Translation: The latest information given to us is that when a post showing violence or fake news needs to be taken down, Facebook has been responding.]

Ban after Zamboanga school shooting

The possibility of blocking Facebook emerged following the deadly Aug. 18 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, which was livestreamed on social media.

The CICC came under scrutiny during a Senate hearing over how quickly the livestream was removed.

CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso said authorities reported the livestream to Meta about five minutes after they became aware of it, but the video remained online for about nine more minutes.

The CICC subsequently said it was studying whether to recommend blocking Facebook if the platform failed to sufficiently cooperate with Philippine authorities. 

DICT-Facebook meeting

Despite the latest assurance from the Palace, the government said it is still seeking stronger mechanisms to compel social media companies to act on harmful content.

Castro said Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda is visiting Singapore to discuss with Facebook how the platform can respond more quickly to government takedown requests.