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Philippines drops mandatory social media verification after rights, cost concerns

By James Konstantin Galvez ( January 27, 2026, 08:25 GMT | Insight) -- The Philippines has dropped plans for mandatory social media ID verification, shifting to a voluntary, public-education approach, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said. The draft rule would have required all accounts to be linked to verified legal identities using registered SIM cards, with multi-factor authentication and reporting obligations. Cost, platform limits and free-speech concerns prompted the change. The Philippines has abandoned plans to require identity verification for social media accounts, instead moving to a voluntary public-education approach after consultations raised concerns over costs, platform practices and freedom of expression, the country's top information and communications technology official told reporters on Monday. The government will no longer pursue a compulsory registration system that would have forced users to link real identities to accounts, a measure initially considered to combat fake news, scams and online abuse....

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