Banning Tiktok a 'whimsical' decision — DICT chief

PANGLAO, Bohol — Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy on Thursday remarked that the decision to ban the Chinese-owned short-form video hosting service TikTok is "whimsical" if it lacks concrete and evidence-based reasoning.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Geeks On A Beach on Thursday, Uy emphasized the need for a "valid reason" for the outright banning of the video-sharing platform.

"I think there has to be some form of valid reason not just because somebody feels that those platforms are [biased] or threats," he said. 

Early this month, the National Security Council raised calls to ban TikTok in the country due to concerns of cyber espionage. The STAR reported that this persisted "even as thousands of Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and affiliate e-marketers have gone on TikTok to sell and market their products and brands, generating millions of pesos from online selling and marketing."

Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya Jonathan Malaya, tasked to lead an investigation into TikTok, reportedly said that there is also a possibility that the app will be banned, according to a report.

Uy, this week, however, stressed that banning TikTok should have a basis. He also said that the NSC should invite the platform "to explain their technology."

READ: TikTok ban? DICT says basis needed

To enhance online safety, the DICT chief said that his department is collaborating with social media giants. This involves measures such as restriction of scammers from using these platforms to deceive or defraud the public either by disallowing their presence or making it more challenging for them to operate.

Despite the restriction, Uy said that he does not favor exercising censorship. While acknowledging that in some countries self-speech may not be considered a right, he underscored the need for self-regulation on the part of app providers to exercise discernment effectively.

Meanwhile, a new report by the digital rights organization DigitalReach revealed that the overemphasis of social media platforms on combating false content, aimed at countering disinformation, fell short in preventing the