SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Johnny Pimentel yesterday broached anew the proposal to require Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, to apply for a congressional franchise before it can operate in the Philippines following complaints from government officials that it has been uncooperative in efforts to curb disinformation.
The Mindanao lawmaker, who is the vice chairperson of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, said self-regulation appears to be not working or is ineffective in blocking the spread of fake news on social media especially where those who manage the platforms are refusing to act.
Pimentel made the recommendation to the House tri committee during yesterday’s continuation of the joint panel’s investigation into the proliferation of false and malicious contents that mislead the public, besmirch personalities, and even help propaganda that undermines government policies.
He cited the disclosure of Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz regarding Meta’s inaction despite being notified that a viral content has been verified to be false.
“I totally agree with the observation of Secretary Jay (Ruiz) that we are at the mercy of Meta platforms. Even an official government request from our government to take down a post regarding a fake memorandum supposedly issued by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin went unheeded,” the lawmaker said addressing committee overall chair Sta. Rosa, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez.
He also pointed out that Meta operates in the country without paying proper taxes and fails to follow regulatory standards.
“Meta platforms do not even pay taxes to the Philippine government. We asked them to undertake self-regulation but we were simply ignored. So maybe it’s about time if they cannot have self-regulation, it must be this government, this administration that will do it for them,” Pimentel said.
“Mr. Chair, I think we should really study if it is possible that we should require this Meta to get a franchise from Congress for them to operate here. We can regulate them,” he added.
He also said that with over 90 million users, the Philippines is one of Meta’s largest markets in Southeast Asia, yet the platform’s priorities appear to be purely profit-driven.
“Meta appears to be looking only at its balance sheet. There are 90 million users in the Philippines. I think we are the biggest users of this platform in the entire Southeast Asia. Maybe we can ask help from Secretary [Ruiz], Secretary [Henry] Aguda [of the Department of Information and Communications Technology] to find a way that we can regulate this platform,” the lawmaker said.
During the hearing, Ruiz recounted how Meta refused to take down Bersamin’s memo despite certification from the DICT’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) that it was fake.
“They refused to take it down. We were told that they were justifying it as part of the freedom of expression and (invoking) their community standards. We are wondering: Are we at the mercy of the platforms? We told them you are not based here, you do not pay taxes, and yet you don’t regulate or stop fake news here in the Philippines,” he said.
Ruiz pointed to Singapore’s model, where platforms face fines of up to six percent of their profits for spreading disinformation.
“They impose penalties against social media platforms there when fake news is posted. Those penalties are pretty stiff – around six percent of profit,” he said.
The PCO chief likewise warned of the long-term consequences of unchecked fake news on Philippine democracy, particularly during election periods.
“What happens when more and more people base their choices on lies and fake news? How do we prevent our voters from being misled when they are bombarded by misinformation? What happens to our democratic processes?” he asked.
Fernandez, chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, supported Pimentel’s call and called for swift executive action.
“I think the President must certify urgent bills that the 20th Congress will be filing. It will require the intervention of the President to speed things up as the process could take a year,” Fernandez said.
