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Less than a day after banning access to Discord, the Department of Information and Communications Technology lifted it, with Secretary Henry Aguda and the DICT’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center apologizing for the move.
The IT community slammed what they saw as a knee-jerk reaction to school violence, and the lack of knowledge of how Discord is used in this country.
Philippine National Police officials had to reassure the public that while Discord is used by the PNP, law enforcement did not suffer serious disruptions while the ban was in place.
Content creators, freelancers, students and educators, however, were not easily mollified by the apology.
The ban was lifted after Discord and Reddit representatives met with government officials and committed to set up a local presence, improve coordination with Philippine authorities and tighten measures to promote child safety on the platforms, including the swift takedown of harmful content.
For the agencies at the forefront of cybersecurity, it is troubling that the DICT and CICC did not know the extent of usage of Discord in the Philippines.
Because Discord works efficiently on both mobile data and low-end devices, the messaging app is popular among students and teachers alike for online learning and extracurricular school activities.
The DICT and CICC blocked access nationwide to Discord and Reddit on Sept. 23, giving the two companies a 24-hour ultimatum to set up a physical presence or appoint a local representative in the Philippines.
It was the DICT’s reaction to the latest deadly school violence in South Cotabato, which left three students dead including the shooter who turned the gun on himself.
Probers said the shooter appeared to have been influenced by a “groomer” of a local nihilistic violent extremist group. NVEs typically recruit through online gaming platforms that promote mass violence.
The government had previously banned GoreBox after two minors opened fire inside the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, killing three students and wounding 20 others on June 22. The two shooters were reportedly avid users of GoreBox.
But Discord users stressed that unlike GoreBox, the free communication app is used not only for gaming.
DICT and CICC officials appeared unaware of this, prompting the apology as access to Discord and Reddit was restored between Sept. 24 and 25.
The incident should prompt a review of the capabilities of the two agencies to carry out their mandate.
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