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Philippines allows Telegram to remain legal despite concerns
After last-minute talks between the government of the Philippines and representatives of the Telegram app, government officials agreed to allow the app to remain legal in the country.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) issued a notice to Telegram after reports that the app was being used for illegal gambling, scams, and sexual exploitation, but just two days later, the government decided to dismiss the ban after talks with Telegram representatives Ronak Singh and Abhimanyu Yadav.
DICT Secretary Henry R. Aguda stated:
“If we continue to find violations, we might ban them as a consequence. If these kinds of activities continue and platforms fail to cooperate, we will not hesitate to recommend blocking them.”
The DICT shared that Telegram has agreed to create a 24/7 helpdesk to immediately address reports of illegal content, send monthly reports to the DICT and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Council (CICC), and use zero tolerance for cases of illegal gambling, online sexual abuse, and other prohibited activities.
CICC Executive Director and Undersecretary Renato Paraiso added:
“When their platform is used for exploitation, we need to know who is behind it. To make that possible, they must have an office here or someone we can directly talk to. An app cannot be a refuge for criminals simply because of a lack of coordination.”
Paraiso believes that law enforcement has to work directly with platform representatives and recommends that companies like Telegram should open satellite offices in the Philippines.
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