On Thursday, September 24, the Philippine Cybercrime Investigation and Co-ordinating Centre (CICC) lifted its temporary Discord ban. The messaging platform agreed to work with authorities on stronger child safety measures.
During a livestreamed press conference, CICC Executive Director Renato “Aboy” Paraiso said Discord had agreed to co-operate with authorities. The platform also committed to help combat online threats.
Discord agreed to create a “green lane” for Philippine authorities. This channel will help officials flag suspicious activity and identify potential threat actors on the platform.
Temporary ban
The agreement came just hours after some Philippine telecommunications providers restricted access to Discord. The restrictions followed a CICC directive.
The ban began at 5pm on Thursday. Authorities imposed it after Discord initially failed to provide concrete commitments on accountability and co-operation.
The government had asked Discord to establish a local office or appoint a Philippine representative. Officials also wanted a direct channel for government co-ordination.
Authorities also requested stronger measures for urgent cases involving minors.
The CICC had earlier given Discord and Reddit 24 hours to establish a local presence.
Reddit responded quickly and agreed to set up a local office. Both companies have also appointed local points of contact for government co-ordination.
However, discussions about Discord’s permanent presence in the Philippines are still ongoing.
Agreement reached
Discord reached the agreement after an online meeting with Philippine authorities.
The company committed to strengthen child safety measures. It also agreed to improve co-ordination with law enforcement.
Discord will also support efforts to combat online grooming.
“The meeting was successful,” the CICC said during a live press conference, as quoted by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“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.”
Officials defend decision
The temporary ban affected Filipino freelancers, gaming communities, remote workers and students. Many of these users rely on Discord for communication and online communities.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda acknowledged the frustration among legitimate users.
“We just want to let you know that when we spoke with Reddit and Discord, they acknowledged the issue,” Aguda said, according to The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Aguda defended the restriction by citing concerns about the use of encrypted platforms. He said authorities believe some groups use these platforms to influence students towards Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE).
Authorities have linked NVE concerns to recent school shootings in the Philippines, although such claims remain part of the government’s stated rationale for the restrictions.
“The Philippine government stands today to say ‘enough is enough,’ before this problem goes out of control. Because if you will research, you will see that the instances of NVE is on the rise,” Aguda said during a press briefing.
He said authorities have a responsibility to find solutions to the issue. Aguda also acknowledged that some measures may prove unpopular.
“But we have to do the correct response so that we will have progress regarding our goal of protecting the youth,” Aguda added.
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