CICC warns shutdown of online platforms over illegal sales, content

“Those who would not comply, we would be compelled to exercise whatever remedy [is available to us]. And one of them is to block [these sites],” Paraiso said. (Pexels Photo)

MANILA – Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) chief, Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso, on Monday warned online shopping and social media platforms of their possible shutdown in the Philippines over the sale of illegal items and other “online harms.”

During a press conference in Quezon City, Paraiso said the crackdown or “zero tolerance for online harms” is a collaboration between several government agencies, including the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other partners in the public and private sectors.

“Those who would not comply, we would be compelled to exercise whatever remedy [is available to us]. And one of them is to block [these sites],” Paraiso said.

These online harms include the selling of illegal items such as counterfeit products and non-Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved items such as vapes or medications, “fake news” or misinformation, and deepfake or artificially made videos, especially pornography.

“Sa mga kababayan natin, baka dumating ang panahon na magkaroon tayo ng holiday sa mga hindi nagco-comply na mga platforms. Whether that’s social media platforms or marketing platforms, hindi niyo muna makita until they comply (To the public, there may come a time when there’s a holiday to non-compliant platforms. Whether that’s social media or marketing platforms, you might not see them until they comply),” he said.

However, Paraiso reassured that most social media and online shopping platforms have already shown their willingness to cooperate with the government, such as TikTok’s “self-sweeping” against illegal items and deepfake videos, Shopee’s compliance against illegal vapes, and others’ statements of support.

“We thank all our private sector partners for their support. Pero hindi naman perfect yan. May mga ask din kami, pamahalaan, may demands din kami na I think should be met, may mga contentious issues (But this is not perfect, the government has some asks, demands that we think should be met. There are contentious issues),” he said.

One of these initiatives is the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) newly launched E-commerce Philippine Trustmark (EPT), which aims to help consumers verify the legitimacy of online sellers and platforms.

The DTI awards the EPT to e-commerce entities that meet specific standards, such as having a valid business registration, physical address, and contact details.

“This would make digital trading safer so we can avoid sub-standard products, frauds, and scams being offered online,” DTI Assistant Secretary for E-Commerce Bureau Marcus Valdez II said during the briefing.

The EPT was launched as part of the implementation of the “Internet Transactions Act,” with DTI Department Order No. 2025-12 making the EPT mandatory as part of the DTI’s regulatory authority on the use of the internet for e-commerce.

To date, Valdez said the trustmark has already been awarded to TikTok, with Shopee’s application already being processed.