ICYMI: PSA, DICT explore using National ID for age checks on Roblox, Meta

PSA and DICT eye NIDAS for age checks on Roblox and Meta.

National ID eyed for age checks

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa met with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda to explore using the National ID Authentication Services (NIDAS) for age and identity verification on Roblox and Meta platforms.

With more than 96 million Filipinos registered under the National ID System, the PSA said the system will serve as the backbone of the country's digital identity ecosystem. Officials said registered individuals can be verified through the National ID Registry without needing a physical or digital card, and a pilot rollout is set to begin soon.

The discussion follows high-level talks between Philippine officials and Meta executives in Singapore, prompted by the fatal shootings in Tacloban City in June and Zamboanga City in August, where violence was promoted or streamed online by extremist groups targeting youth.

Officials pointed to delays in the Zamboanga incident as a key driver behind establishing a local Meta presence. The suspect broadcast the shooting live on Facebook, and while government monitoring systems flagged the stream within five minutes, it took Meta another seven to nine minutes to take the video down. A local office is meant to let authorities and Meta coordinate in real time to remove illegal content before it spreads further.

Meta agreed to supply the information and data we need to tackle these violent threats... Having a local office allows us to communicate directly so dangerous posts can be taken down immediately, said NBI Director Melvin Matibag.

Matibag said the closer partnership will also target accounts used for online harassment and fake news, adding that users will no longer be able to hide behind fake profiles to commit crimes. To address this, the government plans to link social media account verification with the National ID system, or PhilSys.

Officials clarified that Meta will not gain access to the government's citizen database. Instead, a secure digital bridge will let Meta ask the government whether a given ID number matches official records, with the system responding only "yes" or "no" while keeping personal details within government servers.

The agreement with Meta is part of a broader effort to make popular digital platforms safer for young people. Following similar safety agreements with Roblox, officials are scheduling talks with messaging platform Discord to discuss stricter direct messaging limits for minors, stronger filters for explicit content, and expanded parental oversight controls.

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Source: PSA