PH authorities demand Reddit, Discord establish local offices within 24 hours

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has given Reddit and Discord 24 hours to establish offices or designate local representatives in the Philippines, as the government moves to strengthen coordination with digital platforms following three school shooting incidents in recent months. In separate letters dated Sept. 21, the CICC directed the platforms to designate a resident agent or local representative who can facilitate Philippine jurisdiction and improve coordination with authorities. “We are not asking platforms to police the internet for the government but to be reachable, accountable, and responsive when activities on their platforms put Filipino children and communities at risk,” CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso said in a news release. “When an online threat spills over into the real world, there has to be a clear channel for authorities to act," he added. The directive follows concerns over the use of online platforms to allegedly spread violent extremist content and ideologies and to exploit minors, particularly after the Sept. 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato. The CICC also ordered Reddit and Discord to submit written explanations of their existing arrangements and concrete plans to strengthen safety standards, rapid-response mechanisms, and age-verification or age-assurance measures. The agency is seeking their participation in a government-led framework addressing online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, child sexual abuse or exploitation materials, and nihilistic violent extremism (NVE). The CICC also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate a coordination meeting involving Meta, Reddit, Discord, and other social media platforms to discuss measures against online threats linked to violence and child exploitation. Failure or refusal to comply within the prescribed period could prompt the CICC, in coordination with appropriate authorities, to seek restrictions on the platforms’ operations or access in the Philippines. Earlier this month, the government met with representatives of Meta and Roblox to establish a technical working group focused on stricter child-safety measures, faster content takedowns and age-verification mechanisms. The CICC said recent investigations have raised concerns about online grooming and recruitment of minors, including links to communities associated with NVE. The concerns have intensified following school shooting incidents in Tacloban City in June, at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Aug. 18, and at Banga National High School on Sept. 18. —LDF, GMA News