Former DICT Undersecretary Urges Transparency From Tech Giants on Algorithmic Personalization
Key Takeaways
- •House Bill No. 11566, the SAFE Kids Act, prohibits children under 13 from holding social media accounts and requires parental or guardian consent for users aged 13 to 17.
- •Senate Bill No. 2424, the SMART KIDS Act, would bar anyone under 18 from social media and other high-risk digital services, and the differing House and Senate versions must be reconciled before a final law can be signed.
- •Dy contends both bills lack requirements for transparency into how large platforms conduct algorithmic personalization, which he says can shape media consumption across all age groups and may embed ethnic or gender bias.
- •The Business Process Outsourcing industry, one of the Philippines' largest private-sector employers with more than a million workers, could face economic fallout if digital-policy instability is not transparently managed.
- •Legislative momentum intensified after three school shootings from June to September killed at least eight students, with alleged online influence of nihilistic violent extremism groups considered a factor, and Dy recommended extending the OSAEC law's anti-grooming provisions to violent extremism rather than relying on access bans alone.
A technology expert on Thursday called for greater transparency from major technology companies over algorithmic personalization, as Philippine lawmakers advance legislation restricting minors' access to social media.
"The absence in both bills is the transparency in algorithm personalization," Jeffrey Ian C. Dy, former undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the government's lead agency for ICT policy, told reporters in a roundtable discussion. "We should be able to at least check these very large online platforms on what their algorithmic personalization are."
Separate Bills in Congress and Senate
The Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives have each approved their own measures to limit children's use of social media.
Under House Bill No. 11566, also known as the Safe and Friendly Environment for Kids in Digital Spaces (SAFE Kids) Act, children under 13 are prohibited from creating or using social media accounts, while those aged 13 to 17 must obtain parental or guardian consent.
Senate Bill No. 2424, or the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act, takes a broader approach, barring anyone under 18 from accessing social media or other "high-risk digital services." Because the two versions differ in scope and age thresholds, they would need to be reconciled into a single text through the legislative process before a final bill can be signed into law.
Although both proposals focus on restricting youth access, Mr. Dy noted that a lack of transparency in algorithm frameworks could also have implications for media consumption across all age groups.
"If your algorithmic personalization is getting out of hand… you should also limit that," he said in mixed English and Filipino. "There must be some accountability there… if it is imposing certain biases, especially if it is ethnic or gender bias."
"I think Meta has lost a chain of litigation across the world regarding too much algorithmic personalization and its effect on cognitive behavior not only for kids but also for adults and the elderly," he added.
Economic Stakes for the BPO Sector
The proposed policies could also affect the country's economy, including the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, which uses online networking platforms for back-office management. Outsourcing is among the Philippines' largest private-sector employers, providing jobs to more than a million workers.
"A lot of this should be transparently communicated to mitigate the risk of economic fallout or economic downturn because of too much instability in the digital space," he said.
NVE Concerns Drive Renewed Momentum
The calls for tighter social media regulation come after three school shootings from June to September killed at least eight students, with the online influence of alleged nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) groups — a term for networks that glorify mass violence without a conventional political or religious agenda — being considered as a factor in the incidents.
"I think this law has been discussed for quite a long time already and it gained popularity again because of nihilistic violent extremism," the former DICT official said. "I think they are using the issue to fast-track this particular law."
While investigators examine alleged links between NVE groups and the recent school incidents, Mr. Dy stressed that banning social media access would not by itself guarantee a safer learning environment.
"If we are talking about preventing nihilistic violent extremism, the law that should be enacted should be similar to the OSAEC (Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children) law, which prevents grooming," he said. "The OSAEC law specifically makes it illegal for an adult to make unsolicited approaches to a minor, as this constitutes grooming. The same provisions should be extended to cover grooming for violent extremism or terrorism."
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor "Jonvic" C. Remulla earlier reported that at least 53 school shootings were foiled by authorities following the shooting incident in South Cotabato on Sept. 18 that killed three learners. More than 50 individuals in the municipality of Banga who were allegedly making online threats or engaging in "grooming" were arrested after the incident.
— Almira Louise S. Martinez, BusinessWorld
