Hontiveros: Meta agrees to share user data with PH gov’t over threats

MANILA, Philippines — An agreement has been reached with Meta to provide Philippine authorities with user data upon the identification of a potential violent threat, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Friday.

“Napapayag natin, napa-commit natin ang Meta na ibibigay nila sa ating mga awtoridad ang subscriber information at pati traffic data once na may ma-identify silang banta sa kaligtasan ng ating mga bata, bago pa may mangyaring aktwal na pag-atake,” Hontiveros said in a video statement.

(We were able to convince Meta to commit to providing our authorities with subscriber information and traffic data once they identify a threat to the safety of our children, even before an actual attack takes place.)

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READ: Senate panel endorses bill setting 16 as minimum age for social media

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The commitment came after Hontiveros’ staff joined a Philippine government delegation in a roundtable meeting with Meta policy officials from the Asia-Pacific region.

The meeting was held at Meta’s headquarters in Singapore on Thursday.

Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, considers the agreement a positive development as the Senate moves closer to passing Senate Bill No. 2424 or the Child Online Safety and Protection Act.

The bill was sponsored to the Senate floor on Wednesday, proposing to regulate children’s access to social media platforms, setting 16 as the minimum age for social media use.

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For social media companies, it likewise imposes obligations to protect minors from various online risks.

In this regard, Hontiveros said it was “obvious” that Meta’s leaders were ready to strengthen their safeguards.

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“Dapat maging mabilis din ang kanilang aksyon sa ganitong mga threatening situations bago pa ang anumang atake,” she said.

(We also need them to act swiftly in such threatening situations, even before any attack takes place.)

She also warned Meta that it should be accountable for content on its platforms while it continues to earn from its Filipino users.