The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has given Reddit and Discord 24 hours to designate resident agents or local representatives in the Philippines.
In separate letters dated September 21, the CICC directed the two platforms to designate representatives who can help facilitate Philippine jurisdiction and improve coordination with local authorities.
CICC official Paraiso said the agency is not asking platforms to police the internet for the government, but to remain reachable and responsive when online activities may put Filipino children and communities at risk.
The directive comes after the September 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, the latest of several school shooting incidents in the country in recent months.
Beyond appointing local representatives, the CICC asked Reddit and Discord to provide written explanations of their current arrangements and plans to improve online safety, rapid response systems, and age-verification or age-assurance measures.
The agency also wants the platforms to participate in a cooperative framework addressing the online exploitation of minors, including online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM), and nihilistic violence extremism (NVE).
The CICC also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to organize a coordination meeting involving Meta, Discord, Reddit, and other social media platforms to discuss measures against online threats linked to violence and child exploitation.
The agency warned that failure or refusal to comply within the given period could lead to actions, in coordination with other Philippine authorities, that may restrict the platforms’ operations or access to them in the Philippines.