Discord banned, says DICT - GMA Network
Media sharing and messaging platform Discord has been banned from the Philippines, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Thursday.
In a message to GMA News Online, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the ban took effect Wednesday evening. Aguda said the DICT's Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and Discord management are meeting to discuss compliance matters.
Undersecretary Renato "Aboy" Paraiso, executive director of the CICC, likewise confirmed the development in a separate message to GMA News Online.
On Wednesday night, the CICC clarified that it did not extend the 24-hour period given to Discord to establish Philippine presence "pending direct discussions with the platform and concrete commitments on the CICC's requirements."
"Discord separately reached out to the CICC in a letter to express its willingness to engage with the agency on its existing teen safety measures," the CICC said.
Paraiso said, "we have a meeting with them (Discord) at 12 noon later.”
The CICC on Tuesday gave both Reddit and Discord 24 hours to establish a Philippine presence within 24 hours to enhance collaboration with the government following the shooting at the Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
The agency earlier said it gave extensions to both Discord and Reddit, but issued a clarification that only Reddit was granted an extension.
Discord told the CICC that the newly rolled out Global Teen Experience would ensure that teenagers are placed in age-appropriate places on their platform.
Discord Senior Public Policy Advisor Vasundhara Singh said users who cannot be placed in a specific age group will have to confirm their age through facial age estimation, with biometric data not being stored in Discord.
The shooting in South Cotabato is the third school shooting incident in 2026.
In June, two students opened fire in a high school in Tacloban, killing three others.
Not more than two months later, in August, another student shot and killed a schoolmate in Ateneo de Zamboanga before turning the gun on himself. — VDV, GMA News
