Meta has formally responded to the Philippine government’s call to address the spread of false and misleading content on its platforms, detailing its global frameworks and local measures for content moderation in a letter obtained by Bilyonaryo News Channel.
In a letter dated 17 April 2026, Berni Moestafa, Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Indonesia and the Philippines, outlined the company’s ongoing and enhanced efforts to combat misinformation — particularly in the context of what the Philippine government described as “concerns surrounding public order and economic stability amidst the global oil crisis.”
The letter was addressed to Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda and Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Acting Secretary Dave Gomez, and was in reply to a joint letter they sent on 10 April 2026 calling on Meta to immediately take down “false, misleading, and panic-inducing” content circulating on its social media platforms.
Billions invested, thousands deployed
Meta said it has around 40,000 people working on safety and security issues globally, with over $30 billion invested in teams and technology in this area over the last decade.
“The policy prioritizes removing content that poses the highest risk of real-world harm, such as false claims that could lead to imminent physical harm or interfere with civic processes, while preserving space for open expression and public debate,” the company said.
Meta uses a category-based misinformation policy and a Remove, Reduce, and Inform (RRI) framework — removing content that violates Community Standards, reducing the distribution of problematic but non-violating content, and informing users with additional context. It also works with independent third-party fact-checkers certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior enforcement
Meta said it also enforces strict policies against Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB), removing fake accounts, Pages, Groups, and other Meta assets directly involved in deceptive operations when CIB is identified. Its detection and review systems operate across languages and regions, and are continually enhanced to address evolving risks including those specific to the Philippines.
Philippines has highest government access to Meta’s reporting channel
On government-flagging and review, Meta noted that the Philippines has the highest number of government agencies and institutions with direct access to its content reporting channel compared to the rest of the world. Dedicated escalation channels with DICT and PCO allow the government to flag content that may violate Community Standards or local laws.
If flagged content does not violate Meta’s standards, it proceeds to an independent legal review to assess its procedural validity and substantive legality under local laws — followed by assessment under international human rights standards, consistent with Meta’s Corporate Human Rights Policy and its membership in the Global Network Initiative (GNI).
“Meta Connect” training session
Meta said it recently concluded hosting the “Meta Connect: Government and CSO Training Session” on 15 April 2026, which brought together around 1,200 participants in person and virtually from various government agencies and civil society organizations. The session was aimed at deepening participants’ understanding of Community Standards, youth safety initiatives, and reporting tools.
Meta specifically highlighted the active participation of DICT’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) in a panel discussion on content enforcement and rapid response protocols.
Dedicated Philippines team, 24/7 escalation
The company said it maintains a dedicated team in the Philippines supported by its global safety and integrity operations, with escalation channels available 24/7 for urgent cases. It committed to keeping designated DICT and PCO counterparts updated with necessary contact information and remaining available for periodic consultations.
Transparency reporting
Meta said it regularly publishes transparency reports on enforcement actions globally, including in the Philippines, and maintains a Newsroom for public announcements and policy updates. It said it remains open to providing briefings on significant incidents, subject to technical feasibility and legal requirements.
Meta closed the letter by expressing willingness to meet with the DICT and PCO to further strengthen collaborative efforts to promote online safety and digital literacy, directing further coordination to gtingson@meta.com.
