The Philippines’ cybercrime agency is walking back its threat to restrict two major social platforms — at least for one of them.

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) announced it had granted Reddit an extension to comply with its 24-hour directive to establish a local presence. Discord, however, has not been given the same grace period and could no longer operate here.

The drama started earlier this week when the CICC issued an ultimatum to Reddit and Discord, telling both platforms to set up a local office within 24 hours or face operational restrictions, which could include an outright ban. The aggressive move was triggered by recent school shootings, including an incident at Banga National High School in South Cotabato — the third such tragedy in the country in just a few months. The government seeks direct channels with technology companies to protect minors from exposure to nihilistic violent extremism and sexual abuse.

Earlier, Reddit faced a temporary block from internet service provider Globe Telecom. However, the company met virtually with the CICC within the 24-hour window, agreeing to establish direct channels for Philippine authorities to flag harmful content. In response, the agency confirmed the platform earned an extension.

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Discord took a different route, and it’s clear the CICC isn’t satisfied. The messaging platform sent the agency a letter expressing a willingness to cooperate on safety measures, noting its newly rolled-out Global Teen Experience tools. But a letter isn’t enough. The agency made it clear that while it welcomes Discord’s intent, no extension will be granted until actual, direct discussions take place and concrete commitments are ironed out.

As of this writing, the situation has escalated into a nationwide ban. The CICC today confirmed that Discord is officially banned in the Philippines after failing to comply with the directive to establish a local headquarters. However, the agency noted that Discord has a two-week window to set up a physical office here. If the company complies, the ban could be lifted.

CICC’s statement

According to Reddit’s transparency report from the second half of 2025, the platform received 12 removal requests from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police, targeting 74 posts for alleged defamation of public figures. Reddit did not remove a single post. The company noted the flagged content involved criticism of politicians, corruption claims, and general commentary on newsworthy events — none of which violated platform rules.

Just our two cents, but open discussions on these platforms are a democratic right and vital to a working democracy. When state agencies demand direct lines to flag content, the boundary between public safety and silencing dissent can get dangerously thin.

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