The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced that Meta Platforms Inc., the company behind Facebook, has agreed to intensify its efforts against online financial scams and the sexual abuse and exploitation of children online (OSAEC).
This developed following a recent Senate hearing and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to clean up the internet. In a meeting with Meta officials, the DICT secured what it described as landmark commitments to strengthen online safety for Filipino users.
Under the agreement, Meta pledged stronger enforcement to detect, report, and remove content involving child exploitation. It also committed to closer coordination with the government to fight fraudulent investment schemes, phishing, and other online scams.
Meta further agreed to take firmer action against deepfakes and manipulated content used to mislead the public or damage reputations.
The DICT said the commitments signal clearer and more concrete steps by Meta to limit harmful activities across its platforms. The agency added that the agreement reflects growing policy pressure from the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) and Senate discussions, underscoring shared responsibility between government and private companies to build a safer and more trustworthy digital space.
Meanwhile, Globe Telecom is also ramping up efforts to protect users, especially children, from online threats.
Globe said it is strengthening digital safeguards through advanced filtering systems, real-time threat blocking, and reporting tools such as its StopSpam portal. In 2025 alone, the company blocked 967 million scam and spam messages, deactivated 272,746 SIM cards linked to suspicious activity, and shut down 17,384 malicious domains, including thousands of illegal gambling sites.
Child protection remains a key focus. Globe blocked 3,096 domains linked to child pornography and exploitation and invested $2.7 million in advanced content-filtering technology. It also supports the MAKABATA 1383 helpline to improve reporting of online abuse.
Beyond enforcement, Globe continues to promote digital education through its Digital Thumbprint Program, which reached over 16,500 students and educators in 2025. Since 2016, the program has engaged nearly 2 million students nationwide.
Officials said the intensified efforts by both government and industry highlight the growing push to curb online scams and child exploitation, signaling stronger policy action to make the digital space safer for Filipinos.
