Calls are growing for Asean to collectively crack down on Big Tech platforms that spread scams and harmful content, spurred on by Meta Platforms’ landmark US$18 billion US settlement last week.
Meta agreed on Wednesday to enact sweeping changes to Instagram and Facebook – including default time limits and content restrictions – as part of the settlement with several US states, which had alleged the platforms damaged children’s mental health.
Within hours of the deal being announced, advocacy group Scam Watch Pilipinas was urging the Philippines, as this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to put platform accountability squarely on the bloc’s agenda.
“For too long, countries like the Philippines have been dealing with the world’s biggest technology companies individually,” said Jocel de Guzman, co-founder of the group, in a statement.
Because an individual nation state’s enforcement reach was limited, cooperation on removing scam ads, fake accounts and harmful content often came down to “the willingness of the platform”, he added, further calling for an Asean Big Tech accountability framework to be introduced.
Analysts who spoke to This Week in Asia said the US settlement strengthened the case for Southeast Asian governments to demand comparable safeguards, though they cautioned it was not a template the region could simply copy wholesale.