The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said they are intensifying their campaign against the sale of illegal products on online selling and social media platforms.
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said this is one of the agency’s priorities, which requires a “digital bayanihan” or community effort to maintain a safe cyberspace.
“In response to the complaints we’ve received on our social media platforms, we have coordinated with social media platforms and other government agencies to discuss content that should not be circulating on the internet. This is the initiative of the DICT, together with the whole government. The President’s instruction to us is to eliminate or minimize social harm brought by social media,” said Aguda.
Aguda also encouraged the public to be vigilant and report suspicious online activity and illegal product sellers to the hotline 1326.
CICC acting executive director Renato Paraiso said the agency implements a zero-tolerance policy on online harm.
“Our social media and online selling platforms have agreed to and complied with this directive. They have self-sweeping mechanisms for these matters, including child pornography and deep fakes,” Paraiso said.
Some social media and online selling platforms expressed support for the government’s initiatives to reduce and, if possible, completely eliminate illegal and harmful activities that pose risks and negative effects on cyberspace users.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) assistant secretary Valdez III thanked the DICT and CICC for their trust in the agency to implement digital trading.
“We launched the eCommerce Philippines Trustmark, a regulatory authority on the internet for eCommerce. This will ensure safety by avoiding substandard products and mitigating fraud and scams online,” Valdez said.
The briefing was also attended by Phillip Fullon, government and political affairs consultant of Shopee PH; Yves Gonzales, head of public policy of TikTok PH; and Bobby Khan, public sector lead of Google Philippines.
Through the collaboration of the government and the private sector, a safe digital environment can be achieved for every Filipino using the digital space, the DICT said.
