Reddit to comply with order to set up PH office: CICC
Social media platform Reddit has agreed to open a local office in the country.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said the tech firm committed during the virtual meeting to establishing a Philippine office to facilitate coordination with authorities.
This came after the agency extended its 24-hour ultimatum to set up a Philippine office for Reddit and designate a resident agent or local representative who can serve as their point of contact in the country within 24 hours or risk being banned.
The CICC earlier said Discord also committed to opening a PH office but later took it back. Discord, however, has also reached out to them separately "to express its willingness to engage with the agency on its existing teen safety measures," per the CICC.
The CICC also asked Reddit and Discord to explain how they currently handle user safety and outline steps they plan to take to improve safeguards, emergency response, and age checks. It further urged both platforms to work with authorities on measures addressing the exploitation of minors online, which it said is increasingly being tied to violence and physical harm offline.
The order stemmed from concerns about violent extremist content and the exploitation of minors online, following the Sept. 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, the third school shooting incident this year following the tragic incidents in Tacloban City in June and Ateneo de Zamboanga University in August.
For its part, Discord said it would brief the CICC on its Global Teen Experience, which includes age-assurance measures to keep minors safe.
Meanwhile, the National Privacy Commission on Sept. 22 issued show cause orders against Meta, Reddit, Discord, and Roblox for allegedly failing to meet registration requirements under the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The commission said it is stepping up its monitoring of digital platforms that handle the personal data of Filipinos.
In its Sept. 23 public advisory, the agency reminded the platforms to strictly adhere to "their heightened responsibilities and legal obligations in processing the personal data of child users" amid reports linking children’s unrestricted access to social media, online gaming, and digital content to exposure to violence and offline incidents, including school mass shootings.
Editor's Note: This article was updated to clarify that the extension of the CICC's ultimatum to open a PH office only covers Reddit and not Discord, as later clarified by the agency.
