Palace: No FB ban for now; Meta cooperating with government

Palace press officer Claire Castro told a media briefing last Tuesday that the administration is open to banning Facebook and gaming applications following concerns about disinformation and the rising cases of deadly school violence.

AFP

MANILA, Philippines —  The government is not banning Facebook for now, but is pushing for clearer FB rules on eliminating online content that promotes disinformation and encourages violence.

Palace press officer Claire Castro told a media briefing last Tuesday that the administration is open to banning Facebook and gaming applications following concerns about disinformation and the rising cases of deadly school violence.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center proposed the ban days after the shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga, which claimed the lives of two persons.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Castro said Facebook has been responsive to the government’s efforts to immediately take down “fake news.”

“Facebook is not difficult to deal with and it doesn’t mean that if other social media platforms are not responsive, all of them would be banned. That is not what the President and our administration wants,” she said.

“But this is also a signal for other violators, especially the gaming apps that we know affect our youth and can cause violence. So that is what we want to relay because even if the President is open (to a ban), based on the latest information, our government does not have much problem with Facebook,” she added.

Castro urged other social media platforms to work with the government to prevent the spread of false information and violent content. She revealed that Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda is set to travel to Singapore to meet with regional executives of Meta and discuss ways to immediately get rid of violent and false posts.