Manila: Meta has committed to a more proactive approach to removing harmful artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes and responding to lawful requests from Philippine authorities investigating cybercrime and other online threats.
According to Philippines News Agency, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Executive Director Undersecretary Renato "Aboy" Paraiso announced that this commitment allows the government and digital platforms to begin integrating measures contained in the proposed expanded online safety legislation ahead of its passage. "We are encouraged about this high level of cooperation we are seeing. We expect that these developments will translate into faster coordination, more effective investigations, and more importantly, better protection for Filipinos, especially children and other vulnerable Internet users," Paraiso said.
The commitment emerged after a Philippine government delegation led by Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda traveled to Singapore to meet with regional executives of Meta and Roblox amid growing concerns over online safety, particularly the exposure of minors to abusive, deceptive, and potentially dangerous content. Meta's team is anticipated to visit Manila by mid-September to further discussions and work with the government on implementing the measures agreed upon during the meeting.
One of the critical results from the talks is a stronger mechanism for addressing AI-generated content, especially deepfakes targeting individuals. Meta agreed to collaborate with the DICT, CICC, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and other law enforcement agencies on recommendations for identifying AI-generated content that should be removed immediately. "This is an important step forward because it gives us a more preemptive layer of protection. We look forward to working with Meta so that individuals who are targeted by deepfakes can receive assistance before the content causes further damage," Paraiso explained.
Under the proposed mechanism, individuals may be enrolled for protection, allowing Meta to identify and remove deepfake content targeting them. Meta also agreed to provide the credentials and relevant data of users behind online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM), obscene content, and other forms of online abuse. Once the NBI issues a subpoena, Meta will immediately provide the requested data, subject to applicable laws and legal requirements.
Paraiso noted that the arrangement reflects Meta's willingness to act ahead of legislation still being studied. "It shows that there's an opportunity for government and platforms to work together now and not wait for the law before putting stronger safeguards in place," he added. The government had earlier raised the possibility of temporarily banning Meta in the Philippines if the platform failed to implement stricter safeguards to protect children, but is holding off on the plan for now following the commitment. "For now, banning is the last option. We now have concrete areas of cooperation, and we are looking forward to seeing these turn into actual improvements in online safety for Filipinos, especially for our children," Paraiso stressed.
In a broader cooperation framework, the DICT stated that the government and Meta also agreed to establish a technical working group to enhance coordination, response times, and service-level action on harmful content. Meta reaffirmed a zero-tolerance approach toward CSAEM and expressed willingness to continue cooperating with law enforcement on investigations, especially those involving imminent harm to a child or risk of death or serious physical injury. The two sides also agreed to work together on initiatives to strengthen digital literacy and resilience against disinformation and harmful content.
Aguda thanked Meta representatives Sarim Aziz, director for public policy for Southeast Asia, and Gio Tingson, head of public policy for the Philippines, along with officials from the executive and legislative branches, including NBI Director Melvin Matibag, National Telecommunications Commission Chairperson Ella Blanca Lopez, Paraiso, House Committee on Women Chairperson Rep. Ann Matibag, and representatives of the Senate. "These are serious issues, and there is no reason to celebrate. What matters is that we now have concrete commitments and a framework for action," Aguda said. He emphasized that government and platform mechanisms cannot replace parental vigilance, citing Meta's Teen Accounts feature, which applies protective defaults such as private accounts and limits on who can message younger users, as well as its Family Center supervision tool.
