Lito Lapid wants to require valid ID for social media registration

Senator Lito Lapid filed a bill seeking to require valid ID prior to registering to social media platforms.

File photo: Facebook

Will valid IDs be soon required when making social media accounts?

In a report by Inquirer.net, Lapid’s Senate Bill no. 1289 will require social media users to first verify their identity prior to making their account.

The proposed measure is seen to fight the spread of misinformation and hate speech.

Kagaya po sa tunay na mundo, kailangan pong maging responsable ang bawat tao sa kanilang salita at gawa, Lapid said in his explanatory note.

Dapat na pong tapusin ang pag-gawa ng krimen at pagpapakalat ng kasinungalingan gamit ang pekeng user account sa mga social media platform, he added.

Under the bill, those creating a social media account will be required to present any valid government-issued identification and/or barangay certificate that law enforcers can access in case there will be criminal cases done online.

The proposed measure does not prohibit a user to use alternate names or have multiple accounts on a single platform.

[I]t mandates that the operators of such platform require that any membership be supported by actual proofs of identification regardless if the same are not disclosed to the public, Lapid explained.

The Data Privacy Act will still be implemented for all personal information to be made available to the websites.

Those who will be caught registering an account using a false identity, they will be fined at least PHP 100,000 and/or up to six years imprisonment.

As for social media companies that fail to verify the identity of a user, they would be slapped with a PHP 100,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail.

If an account engages with criminal activities like cyberbullying, slander, libel, or selling illicit firearms, drugs, or ammunition, the service provider will face the maximum fine.

This is "whether or not such account is linked to a valid identification card number provided by the government to each individual," the bill noted.

Valid ID prior to making a social media account. What do you think about this?

Source: Inquirer