MANILA—The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it may bring Facebook to court if the social media giant does not cooperate with local authorities.
ICT Secretary Henry Aguda said on Thursday that other countries have already filed cases against Facebook for damages done to their youth.
Aguda added that the department has already sought the help of US authorities to be able to talk with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The DICT has even tried to reach out to Zuckerberg.
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“Mahigit isang taon na rin natin silang kinakabusap. Nagpadala na tayo ng dalawang sulat kay Mr. Mark Zuckerberg,” Aguda said.
The DICT chief said there is already a draft memorandum of understanding laying down the safety protocols demanded by the Philippines.
“Nag-agree po sila doon. ‘Yung draft na ‘yun, di pa rin nila pinipirmahan," Aguda said.
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But Aguda also acknowledged that a ban on Facebook will have far-reaching economic consequences.
“Mas maraming economic and social impact ang isang Facebook ban. At the same time, malaki rin ang social impact ‘pag hindi naman tayo nag-ban. So mahirap ‘yung usapin na ‘yan,” Aguda said.