Philippine CICC Gives Reddit and Discord 24 Hours to Designate Local Representatives; Reddit Agrees to Appoint One

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) of the Philippines sent separate letters dated September 21, 2026 to Reddit and Discord. GMA News reported on September 23 that the CICC 'has given Reddit and Discord 24 hours to establish offices or designate local representatives in the Philippines' and 'directed the platforms to designate a resident agent or local representative who can facilitate Philippine jurisdiction and improve coordination with authorities.' Newsbytes.ph wrote that the directive 'does not necessarily require Reddit and Discord to establish full physical offices within 24 hours, although the CICC's announcement described the order as a demand for the platforms to establish a Philippine presence.' Gadget Pilipinas, which credited ABS-CBN, reported that the letters were sent on Monday.

GMA News tied the directive to 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,' and listed earlier school shootings in Tacloban City in June and at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on August 18. GMA also reported that the CICC ordered the platforms 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.' CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso said in a news release: '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.' GMA reported that failure to comply 'could prompt the CICC, in coordination with appropriate authorities, to seek restrictions on the platforms' operations or access in the Philippines'; Newsbytes.ph described the possible action as including 'restrictions on their operations or the blocking of user access in the country.'

Gadget Pilipinas wrote that the 24-hour deadline 'is meant to compel compliance, not necessarily trigger an immediate shutdown.' BitPinas reported that Reddit 'has agreed to key compliance measures demanded by the government, including setting up a dedicated "Green Lane" mechanism for rapid government complaints and appointing a Philippine-based representative to interface directly with local law enforcement.' BitPinas said the agreement followed a meeting between Reddit executives, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the CICC and the civil society group Digital Pinoys, and its headline said Reddit 'Won't Be Blocked in the Philippines After Agreeing to Government's Rapid Response Demands.' Ronald Gustilo, National Campaigner for Digital Pinoys, was quoted as saying: 'This is an important step, but it should be the beginning of sustained cooperation.' None of the sources reviewed for this entry names the representative Reddit agreed to appoint.

Of Discord, BitPinas wrote that it 'was issued the same 24-hour deadline alongside Reddit' and that 'Regulatory actions remain pending as state officials press for similar local representation and safety compliance.' BitPinas also reported that on September 22 the National Privacy Commission 'issued formal Show Cause Orders to Meta, Roblox, Reddit, and Discord over non-compliance with registration rules under the Data Privacy Act of 2012.' This entry does not cover Discord's outcome.