In an effort to combat the spread of misinformation and hate speech, Senator Lito Lapid has filed Senate Bill No. 1289 which would require users to present a valid ID before they can create an account on social media platforms.

“Kagaya po sa tunay na mundo, kailangan pong maging responsable ang bawat tao sa kanilang salita at gawa. Dapat na pong tapusin ang pag-gawa ng krimen at pagpapakalat ng kasinungalingan gamit ang pekeng user account sa mga social media platform,” Lapid said in his explanatory note of the bill.

Under the proposed bill, social media users may present any valid government-issued identification (ID) and/or barangay certificate, which law enforcers can access should there be a criminal act committed through any of the social media platforms.

“While this bill does not prohibit the use of alternate names or handles nor having multiple accounts in the same platform, it 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 pointed out.

For user’s protection, the senator said that the Data Privacy Act will be applied for all the information gathered. However, any individual who verifies information using “fake or falsified proofs of identification” may be penalized under the bill.

Anyone who registers a social media account using a fake identity will face a fine of at least Php 100,000 or up to six years in prison or both. On the other hand, social media platforms will face a Php 100,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail for failing to verify the identity of a user.