Top officials of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have met with executives of Meta in Singapore after the agency repeatedly criticized the Facebook parent company for being difficult to reach and unresponsive to government concerns.
Photos released by the DICT on Thursday, Aug. 27, showed officials meeting and posing with Meta representatives. The images were posted on the Facebook account of DICT secretary Henry Aguda.
“Another productive discussion with Meta as we continue advancing child online safety.
“Meta is working with the government and other stakeholders to strengthen efforts in protecting children and young people online,” the accompanying caption said.
The DICT did not disclose the names of the Meta executives who attended, the specific issues discussed, or any commitments made during the meeting.
In previous interviews, officials of the DICT and its attached agency, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), complained about Meta’s alleged reluctance to coordinate with the government.
They also cited the company’s lack of a full-fledged Philippine office as an obstacle to addressing urgent concerns involving content on Facebook.
The criticism intensified after footage connected to a school shooting in Zamboanga was shared on the platform, raising questions about Facebook’s content moderation and its response to violent material involving young people.
The DICT and CICC have been seeking closer coordination with online platforms as the government considers measures to curb violent and harmful content, particularly material accessible to children.
