Meta child safety concerns behind House 'call' for Mark Zuckerberg to hearing

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, testifies during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024.

AFP / Brendan Smialowski

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has called Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to a hearing and put the Department of Information and Communications Technology's proposed 2027 budget on hold until concerns over child safety on Meta's platforms are resolved.

The DICT itself backed the move on Wednesday, September 16, saying in a statement it stood "in solidarity" with the House. It accused Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of lagging behind other tech firms in protecting children.  

"Unlike other technology platforms that have demonstrated meaningful cooperation with authorities and concrete progress in safeguarding users, Meta continues to fall short of its responsibility and commitment to youth safety," the agency said.

The move is the latest in a months-long dispute between the Philippine government and Meta over child safety and what officials have described as slow takedowns of harmful content on Facebook. Facebook is the most widely used social media platform among Filipinos. 

Realistically, the Philippine government has limited means to compel action on the part of Meta, much less summon Zuckerberg to a congressional inquiry. 

In the past, officials have pointed to Meta's lack of a full corporate office in the Philippines as an obstacle to enforcing local laws and regulations on the platform. 

The DICT yesterday said the most serious issues raised during budget deliberations were online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) on Meta's platforms. 

It also cited illegal online gambling, cyberbullying, social media addiction, depression and other mental health risks.

"With the enormous scale and reach of its services comes a corresponding obligation to implement effective, measurable safeguards, remove harmful content promptly, and cooperate fully and transparently with Philippine authorities," the department said. 

Meta has not publicly responded to the House's call.

The DICT statement also did not say what Meta must do before the House passes the agency's budget.

In April, the DICT and the Presidential Communications Office wrote to Meta demanding a senior contact be available around the clock.

The government had asked Meta to respond more quickly to its requests for removing high-risk content.  

The DICT later said Meta's reply did not meet the "specific, time-bound actions" the government had requested. 

Under the 2027 National Expenditure Program, the DICT has a proposed budget of P17.6 billion.