Filipino Discord users cried foul after some internet service providers began blocking access to the platform as local authorities investigate the role of online communities in school shootings.
Reports emerged that Discord, a communications platform that allows users to interact through voice, video and text, became inaccessible to Globe and DITO users after the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC)’s 24-hour warning lapsed.
The CICC previously said it would block Discord and Reddit, two platforms that host online communities, if they failed to establish local offices in the Philippines within 24 hours to coordinate with local authorities amid concerns about regulating their communities.
Reddit agreed to the directive, while Discord sent a letter saying it was prepared to brief the CICC on its new user-safety measures related to teenagers, as well as its Family Center tools and its Kodex system.
Discord users, particularly those accessing the internet through Globe and DITO, were nevertheless surprised after learning that the platform would no longer be accessible to them beginning Wednesday, September 23.
While Discord is popular among gaming communities that use it to communicate, the platform is also used by remote workers to interact with colleagyes and clients.
“BANNED DISCORD SA PH? Paano ‘yung mga PH-based workers I contract to work with me, at Discord ang ginagamit namin to communicate professionally and efficiently every day? Sino sasalo ng responsibility?” content creator and gaming personality Dino Roman wrote in a post on Thursday, September 24.
“Papasahurin ba sila nung mga nag-desisyong i-ban ang Discord kapag nawalan sila ng trabaho? Paano ‘yung mga businesses, freelancers, creators, remote workers na umaasa at gumagamit ng Discord?” he added.
“Yes, we can find alternatives, at the end of the day, hindi ko pababayaan ‘yung taong umaasa sakin for work, pero bakit kami pa ‘yung namomroblema, mag-a-adjust at na-ha-hassle?” Dino continued.
Actor Paulo Avelino likewise expressed his concerns about the ban, noting that Discord is also used by people outside the gaming community.
“People use Discord for work meetings, school, and running small businesses. Block it and they all get hit, while bad actors just move to another app. Child safety matters. So fix the actual problem, not just the easiest target!” he wrote.
First world countries: Discord, add age verification.
Philippines: Discord, bye.🤡
People use Discord for work meetings, school, and running small businesses. Block it and they all get hit, while bad actors just move to another app.
Child safety matters. So fix the actual… https://t.co/1bBD5ZbvYl
— PAULO (@mepauloavelino) September 23, 2026
A content creator from Belize also expressed concern over the initiative.
“I just hired a guy from the Philippines and we only communicate through Discord. wtf do you mean this s*** was banned 48 hours later,” content creator Evanito wrote.
Voice actor and content creator KiraKiraKat also said the Discord ban is “harmful to Filipinos,” noting that she is a single mother who relies on the platform for her livelihood as an artist and voice actor in game development.
“The digital sector supports a massive portion of our national workforce across IT, creative arts, and game development. A hasty, blanket restriction risks crippling these essential industries,” she wrote in a post.
“As a single mother raising a child with special needs, remote work is not just a convenience; it is my family’s lifeline. I rely on platforms like Discord daily for production pipelines, asset management, and real-time collaboration with global creative teams,” KiraKiraKat added.
“Work from home setups allow parents, caregivers, and marginalized workers across the nation to earn a sustainable living while caring for our families. Encroaching on these tools severely disrupts our ability to work,” she further said.
The content creator also shared her perspective on the issue as a parent working in game development.
“The root issue is not the communication tools themselves, but a fundamental gap in digital media literacy, mental health support, and parental oversight. Abruptly blocking communication channels does not solve online risks; it merely displaces them while inflicting massive collateral damage on law-abiding digital workers,” KiraKiraKat said.
THIS DISCORD BAN IS HARMFUL TO FILIPINOS. I’m a single mom to an autistic child. I’m also an artist and voice actor in game development that relies on Discord for my livelihood. Please do help sign this petition so we can have our voices be heard!https://t.co/Y9kNyFypRV…
— KiraKiraKat ✨ Voice Actor ✨ Kaigai Idol ✨ Vtuber (@kirakirakat) September 23, 2026
Tech journalist Jayvee Fernandez also said the ban affects Filipino “gig workers who have Discord community management jobs.”
“This is one of the biggest outsourced roles that Filipinos have embraced,” he wrote in an op-ed.
“Many Filipinos use apps like Discord as a team chat similar to Slack. Imagine you’re a remote worker logging in at 8PM to work the night shift and all of a sudden you can’t send messages to your team on the other side of the globe?” Fernandez added.
“Many students use Discord as a LMS. Despite the availability of Google Classroom and other popular LMS apps like Genyo, Discord has presented itself to be one of the best platforms for online learning because of clear audio, customizable chat rooms, and clear low latency voice chat,” he further said.
‘Extremist communities’
Meanwhile, the CICC said it wanted Discord to show “concrete commitments” toward meeting its requirements, adding that it is “important” for the platform to address such issues as Philippine authorities examine it “over the presence of extremist communities.”
The agency added that these include “groups associated with Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) that have been linked to the radicalization and recruitment of minors involved in the recent school shooting incidents in the country.”
On September 18, the country recorded its third reported school shooting incident at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, where a 14-year-old junior high student opened fire and left two people dead. The student also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
READ: 3 students killed in South Cotabato school shooting, including gunman, officials say
Authorities said the student was “heavily into the deep dark web,” which they said had “heavily influenced” him.
The “deep web” refers to online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. The “dark web,” meanwhile, refers to websites and services accessible through specialized networks and not indexed by conventional search engines.
Last August, a minor opened fire at the Ateneo de Zambaoanga’s Junior High School campus, killing another minor and injuring more than 20 people.
In June, two minors also opened fire at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, killing three students and injuring about 20 others.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that the perpetrators in the Tacloban and Zamboanga shooting incidents “were heavily influenced by the game Roblox,” noting that it has a chat feature which he claimed encouraged them to commit “actual violence.”
In a latest update on Thursday afternoon, the CICC reportedly said the ban imposed on Discord has been lifted.
