DICT, gov’t cybercrime center confirm Discord ban has been lifted

MANILA, Philippines — The ban on Discord was lifted on Thursday, Sept. 24 after its representatives talked with officials of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

DICT chief Henry Aguda and CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso made the confirmation.

The ban was removed after Discord officers promised to cooperate with the two government agencies.

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The parties met in an online meeting on Thursday.

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READ: CICC extends Reddit’s deadline to set up PH presence

According to Paraiso, the online platform agreed to set up security measures, presence, and back the campaign against online groomers.

“The meeting was successful, and 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,” he said during a live press briefing.

Discord also said it will provide a green lane, which allows Philippine authorities to track and monitor suspicious activities on the platform.

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“Like Reddit, Discord has promised to provide us with a ‘green lane’—such as monitoring and identifying threat actors on their platform,” Paraiso said.

The CICC previously ordered Discord and Reddit to coordinate with it and install a local office within 24 hours. 

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The agency said on Wednesday evening, in its clarificatory statement, that it did not grant Discord an extension after the company only reached out via a letter.

Reddit, on the other hand, was permitted after it held an online meeting with CICC officials.

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The two parties discussed plans to put a local office for Reddit and other safety measures for teenagers who use the platform. /apl