Meta, Philippine Agencies, and NGOs Launch Localized ‘Take It Down’ to Protect Victims of Online Sexual Exploitation

Taguig City, Philippines – Social media giant Meta has teamed up with Philippine government agencies and non-government organizations to launch the localized Take It Down campaign, a groundbreaking online safety service that allows victims to block the circulation of sexually explicit images taken of them when they were under 18 years old — without ever having to share the actual content.

The initiative, developed in partnership with the Stairway Foundation, PLAN International Pilipinas, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Education (DepEd), offers a free, private, and secure way to remove or prevent the spread of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images and videos of minors.

The service is designed for anyone — whether they are currently a child or now an adult — whose intimate content from their youth has been shared online without their consent or is at risk of being distributed.

“Take It Down is a free, private, and secure tool that allows anyone to stop the online sharing of intimate images or videos taken of them when they were under 18, without ever having to share those images with anyone,” Meta said in a statement. “This is for anyone — whether you are a child today or an adult now — if the content was created when you were under 18.”

How the Service Works

1. The victim or a trusted adult visits takeitdown.ncmec.org.

2. The image or video is selected from the device — but never uploaded.

3. The system generates a unique “digital fingerprint” or hash of the file.

4. Participating platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, use the hash to identify and block the same image or video from being posted or reshared online.

   
   

The Take It Down system is operated by the U.S.-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and is supported by multiple tech companies to combat online child sexual exploitation globally.

By bringing the program to the Philippines, Meta and its partners aim to strengthen the country’s fight against the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), a growing concern that has worsened with the rise of digital communication.

Officials from the DOJ and DepEd welcomed the campaign, emphasizing that it not only protects victims but also educates the public about the importance of safeguarding children’s privacy in the digital age.

The Take It Down campaign adds to Meta’s broader safety initiatives in the country, complementing existing tools such as parental supervision features, privacy controls, and reporting mechanisms.

For more information and to access the service, visit takeitdown.ncmec.org.