CICC gives Reddit and Discord 24 hours to establish PH presence

The September 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato has prompted the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to demand a stronger local presence from Reddit and Discord.

The CICC has given both platforms 24 hours to designate a resident agent or local representative in the Philippines, warning that failure to comply could lead to restrictions or blocked access to their services. The directive comes as authorities investigate reports about the online communities associated with the 16-year-old suspect in the Banga shooting. Authorities have not established that the online community caused or directly contributed to the attack.

The CICC said its concerns extend beyond the South Cotabato incident, particularly to the use of online platforms for violent extremist content and the exploitation of minors. It wants Reddit and Discord to explain their existing safety arrangements and submit plans covering age verification or age assurance, rapid-response mechanisms, and other safeguards.

CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso said the agency wants platforms to be reachable and accountable when activity on their services puts Filipino children and communities at risk.

The agency is also asking both companies to participate in a proposed framework addressing online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, child sexual abuse or exploitation materials, and what it describes as nihilistic violent extremism.

The 24-hour deadline does not necessarily mean Reddit and Discord must build full physical offices immediately. The CICC’s letters specifically call for a resident agent or local representative who can facilitate Philippine jurisdiction and coordination with authorities.

If the platforms do not comply, the CICC said it could coordinate with other government agencies to restrict their operations or block access in the Philippines. It has also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate discussions with Reddit, Discord, Meta, and other platforms over online threats involving violence and child exploitation.

The CICC’s directive puts Reddit and Discord at the center of a broader government effort to address how online activity involving minors and violent communities can intersect with incidents in the physical world. The investigation into what happened in Banga, however, remains ongoing.