Meta has raised technical concerns about the Philippine government’s proposal to use the National ID system for verifying users on its social media platforms.
Previously, we reported that DICT plans to ask Meta to integrate the Philippine National ID into account verification for its social media platforms.
According to Manila Bulletin, the proposal was discussed during a meeting between the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Meta in Singapore. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda asked Meta to consider using the Philippine National ID to verify Filipino users across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads.
The government sees identity verification as one way to help address online fraud, cybercrime, and child-safety concerns. Aguda also cited Roblox as an example of a platform that has expressed willingness to support National ID integration.
Meta’s response does not mean it has rejected the proposal. However, its technical concerns suggest that the system could take longer to implement and may not include everything the government initially proposed.
Meta has also agreed to send a technical team to the Philippines to work with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on possible identity-verification solutions.
DICT clarified that Meta would not have direct access to the Philippine National ID database.
Instead, Meta could send an ID or reference number to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which would only confirm whether the details match its records.
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