SENATOR Risa Hontiveros said Meta has agreed to respond more swiftly to requests from Philippine law enforcement agencies for user data when authorities identify an imminent threat of violence.

The commitment was secured during a roundtable meeting at Meta’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, where representatives of Hontiveros joined a Philippine delegation of government officials to discuss the role of Facebook and other Meta platforms in addressing nihilistic violent extremism.

According to Hontiveros, her representatives pressed Meta to commit to providing subscriber information and traffic data to Philippine authorities when there are credible indications of an impending attack. The social media giant agreed before the meeting concluded.

“Now that Meta’s senior officials have pledged to act more swiftly against possible threats of violence, authorities should also be able to respond faster,” Hontiveros said.

The senator said the commitment complements the proposed Child Online Safety and Protection Act, a priority government measure aimed at strengthening online safeguards for children.

She said Meta was informed that the bill is nearing passage and appeared prepared to further strengthen its safety measures.

Hontiveros added that the proposed legislation builds on the protections provided under Republic Act No. 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act, which she authored.

She also stressed that technology companies must be held accountable for content circulating on their platforms, saying Meta should not profit from Filipino users without taking responsibility for preventing the spread of harmful and violent content.

“We will hold them to their word,” Hontiveros said.