MANILA: When evidence of a crime resides on Facebook, authorities can ask Meta for user data through formal legal channels. But in the Philippines, Meta produced some data in less than half of such requests from 2019 to the first half of 2025, according to an analysis of data from the social media platform.
University of the Philippines Diliman associate professor and Inquirer data scientist Dr Rogelio Alicor Panao said the Philippines submitted 590 requests to Meta during the period.
This was far fewer than the number of requests from other Asian jurisdictions, including Taiwan with 37,086, South Korea with 15,445, Singapore with 10,356, Thailand with 7,307, Japan with 3,728, Indonesia with 2,053 and Malaysia with 875.
The Philippines’ total was also substantially lower than those of the United States, which submitted 866,782 requests, and India, which submitted 840,114.
But the number of requests alone does not show how often authorities were able to obtain data. Panao’s analysis found that Meta produced some data in 46.4% of Philippine requests during the period.
That was lower than the overall compliance rates recorded in Taiwan at 83.9%, Singapore at 79.8%, South Korea at 78.2%, Malaysia at 75.9%, Thailand at 74.2%, Japan at 72.6% and Indonesia at 68.3%.
Most Philippine requests were emergencies
The figures cover three types of requests that governments can make to Meta when they need information that may be relevant to an investigation.
“Legal-process requests are issued when authorities have obtained judicial authorization, such as a warrant, subpoena, or court order. Emergency requests are invoked when there is an imminent threat to life or risk of serious physical harm, and when there is insufficient time to follow ordinary procedures,” Panao explained.
A third type, called preservation requests, asks Meta to “retain potentially relevant data while authorities pursue the legal authority needed for its release,” Panao added. These requests do not themselves seek disclosure of the information.
Of the 590 requests submitted by Philippine authorities, 222 were legal-process requests, while 368 were classified as emergency requests, according to Panao’s analysis.
The analysis also showed that Meta produced data for only 34.2% of the Philippines’ legal-process requests, while the compliance rate was higher for emergency requests at 53.8%.
What the numbers may indicate
Meta does not provide case-specific explanations for requests it rejects. Its guidance, however, says requests may be denied if they do not comply with statutory requirements under the U.S. Stored Communications Act, are too vague or expansive, seek information that cannot be disclosed, or concern data that Meta does not possess.
Panao said the relatively low success rate for Philippine requests could have several possible explanations.
“It could indicate that authorities operate under more stringent legal standards, resulting in fewer requests that meet Meta’s requirements,” he said.
Another possibility, he said, involves the quality of investigative information supporting requests before they are submitted to Meta.
“It could also suggest that a significant number of requests are based on insufficiently developed or inadequately supported investigative leads, raising questions about the rigor with which digital evidence requests are vetted before submission.”
Institutional capacity matters
The analysis points to institutional capacity as another factor that could affect whether digital evidence requests result in data being produced.
Panao said jurisdictions that invest in the capacity to prepare precise and legally sound requests are likely to have higher compliance rates.
“Based on the data, jurisdictions that invest in the institutional capacity to frame precise, legally sound requests are likely to see higher compliance rates. Those that do not may find their investigations hampered not by the unavailability of evidence, but by the quality of their own requests,” he explained.
The figures also show a wide gap between the Philippines and other South-East Asian jurisdictions.
Indonesia, for example, submitted 2,053 requests during the period and had a 68.3% overall compliance rate, while Malaysia submitted 875 requests and recorded a 75.9% rate. Thailand submitted 7,307 requests and had a 74.2% compliance rate, while Singapore submitted 10,356 and recorded a 79.8% rate.
The Philippines’ 46.4% rate was substantially lower than all of them. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
