The Philippines lifts a temporary ban on the messaging platform Discord after officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) meet with Discord representatives. DICT chief Henry Aguda and CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso confirm that the ban is removed following an online discussion on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Across the reports, the officials say Discord commits to working with the agencies and implementing additional measures. Discord agrees to put in place security measures and establish a presence in line with government requirements. The discussions also focus on online child safety and risks tied to extremism, including concerns related to nihilistic violent extremism, grooming, the radicalization of minors, and threats linked to violence in schools and communities. While one account emphasizes the agreement to cooperate and build security/presence, the other highlights the specific child-safety and counter-extremism commitments made during the meeting.
