The government has lifted its ban on Discord in the Philippines after the platform’s representatives met with officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC). The CICC is an attached agency of the DICT. The restriction was removed on Thursday, Sept. 24.
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda and CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso confirmed the decision. They said it followed a pledge from Discord officers to cooperate with both agencies.
Discord’s Commitments to the DICT and CICC
The two sides held an online meeting on Thursday. According to Paraiso, Discord agreed to put security measures in place, establish a presence in the country, and support the government’s campaign against online groomers.
“The meeting was successful,” Paraiso said during a live press briefing. “We secured a commitment from Discord to collaborate with us in achieving our goal of further strengthening the online safety measures we are implementing for our country.”
Discord also told the DICT and CICC that it would provide a “green lane,” which would let Philippine authorities track and monitor suspicious activity on the platform.
“Like Reddit, Discord has promised to provide us with a ‘green lane’—such as monitoring and identifying threat actors on their platform,” Paraiso said.
Why the CICC Imposed the Ban on Discord
The CICC had earlier ordered Discord and Reddit to coordinate with the agency and set up a local office within 24 hours.
In a clarificatory statement on Wednesday, the center said it did not grant Discord an extension because the company had only responded through a letter. Paraiso said the ban took effect immediately, at around 5 p.m.
Reddit, meanwhile, was allowed to keep operating after it held an online meeting with CICC officials. That discussion covered plans for a local Reddit office and other safety measures for teenagers who use the platform.
DICT Acknowledges Disruption to Users
An anti-scam advocacy organization said many people were frustrated by the temporary restriction because they rely on the platform for work. Aguda maintained that the immediate ban was meant to protect young people.
“Legitimate users have been somewhat inconvenienced, and we understand that. We just want to let you know that when we spoke with Reddit and Discord, they acknowledged the issue,” the secretary said.
Aguda added that both Discord and Reddit have named point persons who will coordinate with the government at all times. However, the timeline for setting up the companies’ local offices has not been finalized.
Extremist Group Concerns Behind the CICC’s Action
The CICC had previously flagged the presence of a Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) group allegedly recruiting and grooming teenagers on these online platforms.
The group is suspected of having links to the Sept. 18 school shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, which killed three students. That incident came a month after a similar shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University left two students dead.
“Instances involving NVE are on the rise. The numbers are truly going up,” Aguda said.
“We are all aware of this. We have been tasked with providing a solution,” he told reporters.
“Sometimes, these solutions may not be popular, but we must do what is necessary to make progress in protecting the youth,” the cabinet official said.
