Reports that Discord had become inaccessible on some Philippine networks drew criticism from users and technology advocates, who questioned the effect on legitimate online communities and the legal basis for blocking the platform.
Online community Deep Web Konek said Globe users began seeing a page at around 8:08 p.m. on Sept. 23 stating that access to Discord had been blocked under a National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) directive.
It cautioned that access appeared to vary by Internet provider and that the reports should not be described as a nationwide shutdown.
Former Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said the restriction could disrupt Filipino freelancers who use Discord to find work and exchange advice.
He cited Barangay VA Helpdesk, which he said has more than 12,000 members, along with the Nexus and Jobcord communities. His estimate that about 15,000 workers would be affected has not been independently verified.
“Congratulations DICT, because of our failure to apprehend criminals online, we sacrificed some 15,000 legitimate Filipino workers on Discord,” Dy wrote.
Dy also questioned whether an administrative blocking order was consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Disini v. Secretary of Justice.
In that case, the SC struck down Section 19 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, which had allowed the Department of Justice to order access to suspected computer data restricted or blocked without a judicial warrant.
Cybersecurity professional Pierre Tito Galla of the digital civil society group Democracy.net.ph likewise criticized the use of site blocking, arguing that allowing agencies to restrict access without due process would make it easier to extend the practice to other platforms.
“And now you get site blocking without due process or basis in law, because the government got annoyed with foreign content platforms. Feel free to enjoy the slippery slope,” Galla wrote.
A Facebook Messenger community has also formed a petition opposing the reported block.
The dispute followed a Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) directive giving Discord and Reddit 24 hours to designate local representatives and respond to demands concerning online safety. The agency warned that failure to comply could lead to access restrictions.
In an attached clarification dated Sept. 23, the CICC said only Reddit had been granted an extension. It said Discord had sent a letter expressing willingness to discuss its teen safety measures, but had received no extension pending direct talks and concrete commitments.
The agency linked its scrutiny of Discord to alleged extremist communities and the recruitment of minors.
