THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) plans to require all social media users in the Philippines to undergo identity verification, a proposal officials say is meant to curb online abuse, but which has drawn criticism from digital rights and privacy advocates. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the policy, now under review by the department’s policy and legal teams, could be implemented through a department order as early as next week. “It is currently under review by our policy, legal team... so far, there is no problem with it,” he told reporters at a Globe–Starlink partnership event in Taguig City. “Once I see their recommendation on my table, we will issue it next week.” Under the proposal, social media platforms operating in the country must verify the real identities of their users. Aguda said the measure would make it easier to trace individuals involved in cybercrimes, harassment, defamation, and other online offenses. “Trolls should be reduced... that’s one. Second, the AI bots,” Aguda said, referring to anonymous or pseudonymous accounts that post coordinated or offensive content online. He added that major platforms were open to such a move, but needed government direction. “It’s difficult for them to self-regulate since they make money out of traffic... so we will give them a basis, then they’ll follow,” he said. The proposal comes amid heightened scrutiny by the DICT of online safety issues, including its recent move to block access to the AI chatbot Grok following reports of sexually explicit and non-consensual imagery. Supporters of mandatory verification argue that stronger accountability could help curb misinformation, harassment and malicious automation that have influenced public discourse and elections. Groups that oppose the policy warned that compulsory identity verification could expose Filipinos to greater risks rather than improve online safety. Winthrop Yu of Internet Society Philippines said large-scale collection of personal data creates serious vulnerabilities, “exposes everyone to serious harms — from profiling, identity theft, and more.” “Once the data is collected, we will see a massive data breach, making everyone less, not more, secure,” Yu added. Carlos Nazareno, director for rights at Democracy.Net.PH, said the proposal was dangerous and unnecessary, arguing that even the world’s largest technology firms have failed to secure massive user databases. “If billion-dollar tech companies are incapable of protecting their users’ sensitive information, what hope is there for smaller outfits with smaller cybersecurity budgets?” Nazareno said. He warned that the policy could extend beyond major platforms to smaller blogs, forums, online games and review sites, forcing them to collect government IDs or biometric data without adequate safeguards. He said this could undermine constitutionally protected rights to privacy and lawful anonymous expression online, long accepted as internet norms. Critics further cited the National Privacy Commission’s requirement for privacy by design, noting that regulators and courts have recognized that data breaches should be treated as inevitable and planned for, rather than dismissed as unlikely events. If implemented, the DICT policy would mark a significant shift in how digital platforms operate in the Philippines, raising questions over data protection, free expression, and the government’s role in regulating online identity.