PHILIPPINES EYES MANDATORY SOCIAL MEDIA USER VERIFICATION TO CURB ABUSE
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.
GOODBYE TROLLS? DICT MULLS ALL SOCIAL MEDIA USERS TO BE VERIFIED
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is working on a policy measure that would require all social media platforms in the country to have their users verified in a bid to strengthen regulation and accountability in cyberspace.
​​DICT: SOCIAL MEDIA VERIFICATION LIKELY TO REMAIN VOLUNTARY
Verification of social media accounts will likely remain voluntary, despite the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) plan to release a new policy measure to curb fake news next week.
MARCOS OKS PH’S DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY PLAN FOR CHEAPER, FASTER INTERNET
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved the Philippines’ first National Digital Connectivity Plan (NDCP), a strategic framework aimed at accelerating broadband rollout, lowering internet costs, and providing reliable, secure digital access for millions of Filipinos nationwide.
SENATOR: DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY MASTER PLAN GUIDES KONEKTADONG PINOY LAW
Cayetano welcomed the approval of the master plan, saying it aligns with the intent of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, which lapsed into law in August 2025 to modernize the country’s digital framework and expand internet access nationwide.
UNESCO AI READINESS ASSESSMENT REPORT: ANCHORING ETHICS IN AI GOVERNANCE IN THE PHILIPPINES
UNESCO, in collaboration with the Philippines’ government, have completed the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology – marking a significant step in the Philippines’ ethical AI governance journey. This milestone report is expected to complement the country’s ongoing development of the National AI Strategy for the Philippines and other initiatives to ensure responsible AI governance. Read the report here.
MARCOS JR. LAUNCHES AI LITERACY PROGRAM FOR BASIC EDUCATION STUDENTS
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara launched Project AGAP.AI, a government initiative positioning artificial intelligence literacy as a life skill for Filipino students as the country prepares learners for an increasingly digital and automated world.
PHILIPPINES TO BLOCK AI CHATBOT GROK OVER DEEPFAKES—DICT
The news came hours after social media platform X said it was taking measures to prevent its chatbot from undressing images of real people, including children, amid a growing global backlash and the launch of an investigation in the US state of California.
DICT TO LIFT GROK AI BAN AFTER CORRECTIVE MEASURES
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and its attached agencies are ready to lift the access ban on the artificial intelligence (AI) platform Grok the Philippines once corrective measures are in place against illegal usage of its image generation features.

PHILIPPINE JOURNALIST FOUND “GUILTY” OF FINANCING TERRORISM
Frenchie Mae Cumpio has been found guilty of financing terrorism and sentenced to at least 12 years in jail, in what press freedom groups called a “travesty of justice”. Rights groups had said the charges were fabricated and that Cumpio was red-tagged – labelled a subversive – for her reporting, which criticised the police and military.
3 FILIPINOS AMONG 128 JOURNALISTS KILLED GLOBALLY IN 2025 — IFJ
Three of the 128 journalists and media workers reportedly killed in 2025 were based in the Philippines, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The victims — Juan “Johnny” Dayang, Erwin Labitad Segovia and Noel Bellen Samar — were all shot dead.
PHISHING FROM RISKY URLS NOW TOP DIGITAL THREAT IN PH
Phishing or link-based attacks are now the fastest-growing digital threat in the Philippines, according to data from the Whoscall 2025 Philippines Scam Report. The report, published by Gogolook Philippines — a cybersecurity firm responsible for the anti-scam app Whoscall, found that risky URLs rose from 13,602 in the first quarter to 49,431 by the end of 2025 — an almost four-fold increase.

Read more: https://fma.ph/digital-rights-round-up-january-1-to-31-2026/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAPsAwFjbGNrA-wCBmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtbK926xRDG1qZe6Gw_lPT8rLJxJzTaIJB4Ow48RXXl5YhxVFwVKs6NjcNtU_aem_yszgVFqBFocvYICc4nC9qg