DICT mulls banning Telegram

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is considering banning instant messaging platform Telegram in the Philippines over pornography and illegal gambling.

“If we continue to find violations in OSAEC (Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children) and illegal gambling then we might ban them as a consequence,” ICT Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda said in a Viber message on Wednesday.

Mr. Aguda said the agency has received reports that the online messaging platform is being used for online sexual exploitation, scams, illegal gambling, and deepfake content. He did not provide further details.

In a radio interview, Mr. Aguda said the agency is coordinating with Telegram to enforce restrictions and safety measures to prevent the platform from being used for illicit activities. Should Telegram fail to implement such measures, he added, the DICT may be compelled to ban its use.

Telegram is cloud-based instant messaging platform developed in 2013. The platform has gained popularity due its privacy-focused platform and lax verification process allowing users to easily create and use the platform for messaging, which can also be exploited for illegal activities.

Last month, the DICT also ordered the ban of Grok, the generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by X.AI Corp. (xAI), owned by Elon Musk over deepfake and growing threats involving women and minors.

The ban was immediately lifted following Grok’s commitment to implement safeguards that would prevent the generation of inappropriate content.

The DICT is also working on a measure that would require users in the country to have their accounts verified.

The DICT is set to meet with the National Privacy Commission and incumbent telecommunications players to seek comments on the possible implementation of user account verification, which will allow easier tracing in cases of AI misuse online. — Ashley Erika O. Jose