The National Telecommunications Commission’s block on Discord for Globe and DITO subscribers is being lifted, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center announced Thursday, Sept. 24, a day after access first went dark for thousands of Filipino users.
“Yup, we’re ordering the lifting,” said CICC Executive Director and DICT Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso, following a meeting with Discord’s management.
Paraiso said the meeting resulted in Discord designating a point person in the Philippines and establishing a direct coordination channel with authorities, which the CICC calls a “green lane.” Discord also promised a faster process for handling investigation requests from government agencies. Paraiso apologized to the public over the ban and said authorities were working to restore access. As of Thursday afternoon, however, access to Discord remained restricted on Globe and DITO networks.
The block had taken effect Wednesday evening, Sept. 23, after Discord users on Globe and DITO saw a notice saying access had been blocked under an NTC directive. The CICC said Discord had missed a 24-hour deadline to establish a local presence. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda confirmed the ban took effect that evening, and the NTC said its order applied specifically to Globe and DITO users. The disruption hit students, gamers, and freelancers who rely on the platform for work, though some got around it by changing their DNS settings or using a VPN.
The directive behind the block was sent to both Discord and Reddit in letters dated Sept. 21, ordering each platform to immediately designate a resident agent or local representative and explain their safety and age verification measures, with a warning of restrictions if they failed to comply within 24 hours. The order followed the Sept. 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
Reddit, unlike Discord, secured an extension after officials, including vice president of policy Jessica Ashooh, met with the agency, discussed “green lanes” for flagging harmful content, and committed to opening a Philippine office. Discord had initially sent only a letter; the CICC later clarified it had not extended Discord’s deadline, pending direct discussions and concrete commitments.
The block drew criticism from former DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy, who said about 15,000 Filipino freelancers had been affected, citing the Barangay VA Helpdesk — a Discord community with more than 12,000 members — as well as the Nexus and Jobcord servers used by Filipino virtual assistants.
