Philippines’ short-lived Discord ban exposes cracks in online safety strategy
The abrupt ban following recent school shootings has drawn backlash over ‘performative governance’ and free speech risks
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced on Thursday that it had lifted the ban after what officials described as successful negotiations with Discord over compliance with child safety measures.
Authorities said they were investigating whether the student had been influenced by online conversations, while the government also raised concerns about online communities being used to groom or radicalise minors and potentially encourage real-world violence.
