Sen. Sotto backs ‘one person, one social media account’ rule

Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III is pushing a ‘one person, one social media account’ policy. He called this as a means of combating online trolls, particularly those tied to the West Philippine Sea.

He argued that every user should be limited to a single account per platform, with unverified profiles removed. He also added that this should be in coordination with major services like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

‘It should be one person, one account on every internet platform so that trolls will be eliminated,’ Sotto said, stressing the need for stricter verification mechanisms. The proposal would require closer collaboration between the government and social media companies to enforce identity checks and clean up fake or duplicate accounts.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is also studying mandatory registration for social media ownership as part of broader efforts to regulate online spaces. However, rights groups have flagged the idea as a potential threat to privacy and freedom of expression, warning that stricter identity requirements could chill legitimate speech and expose users to surveillance or harassment.