Malacañang clarified that it is not currently moving to block Facebook, noting that the social media giant remains responsive to government requests to remove fake news and violent material.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro explained during an August 27 press briefing that while the administration remains open to restricting apps that harm youth, Facebook has shown a willingness to cooperate.
The clarification follows earlier remarks regarding a proposal from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to review a potential ban on the platform.
Castro noted that two days after those initial discussions, state agencies reported positive engagement from the platform.
“Noong Martes po ay nasabi po natin dahil ito din po ang nakita ng CICC at ng DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology). 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.
“So, ito po ang nais natin din nating ipahiwatig sa ating na hindi po nakikitaan sa ngayon ang Facebook na mahirap na kausapin,” she added.
The official emphasized that the administration does not intend to implement a blanket ban across all online networks due to non-compliant platforms.
However, she warned that gaming apps and other online services promoting violence among young users remain under evaluation.
“That is not what the President or our administration intends,” Castro stated.
“So, iyon lang po ang ating gustong ipahatid dahil kung open man ang Pangulo, sa ngayon ang pinakahuling impormasyon, wala namang masyadong nagiging problema ang ating pamahalaan sa Facebook,” she noted.
Castro reaffirmed that all proposals are still being studied, but praised Facebook’s prompt action on takedown requests as a step in the right direction.
“So, 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,” Castro remarked.
“because we are also asking all social media platforms to work with the government to help prevent harmful content, misinformation, and excessively violent material from continuing to spread,” she added.