The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to social community platforms Reddit and Discord to set up physical offices and appoint local representatives in the Philippines. The move forms part of a broader government push to bolster oversight of digital platforms following a third school shooting incident in the country within recent months.
In a formal communication dated September. 21, the CICC instructed both companies to immediately designate a resident agent or local representative upon receipt of the letters to bring them under Philippine legal jurisdiction and streamline operational cooperation with domestic law enforcement agencies.
“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. When an online threat spills over into the real world, there has to be clear channel for authorities to act,” CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso stated.
The government’s directive comes amid escalating concerns over digital networks being leveraged to spread violent extremist ideologies and groom minors—concerns that intensified following the Sept. 18 shooting incident at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
In addition to appointing local agents, Reddit and Discord have been ordered to submit written descriptions of their current protocols along with action plans to enhance safety measures, implement rapid-response channels, and enforce age-verification systems.
The agency is also seeking the active involvement of both platforms in creating a collaborative framework targeted at neutralizing digital child exploitation, an issue authorities note has dangerously escalated from online interaction to real-world violence and physical harm.
This framework is slated to target digital networks engaged in the creation, solicitation, possession, distribution, exchange, promotion, or monetization of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM), as well as communities promoting nihilistic violent extremism (NVE).
To support these measures, the CICC requested assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs to organize a coordination meeting involving Meta, Discord, Reddit and other major social networks to align on strategies against child exploitation and online-driven violence.
The CICC cautioned that non-compliance within the 24-hour window could lead the agency, in partnership with relevant government authorities, to restrict access or block the platforms’ operations within the Philippines.
The ultimatum follows previous government discussions earlier this month with representatives from Meta and Roblox to form a technical working group focused on accelerating content takedowns, establishing robust age-verification systems, and enhancing child safety protocols.
Investigators have raised warning flags over online radicalization and grooming of minors, specifically within communities linked to nihilistic violent extremism—worries heightened by consecutive campus tragedies including the June shooting in Tacloban City, the Aug. 18 attack at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and the recent Sept. 18 tragedy at Banga National High School.