Discord open to appointing PH legal representative amid proposed platform regulations

• Courtesy of Discord

Discord has expressed willingness to appoint a Philippine-based law firm as its local legal representative as the government explores ways to strengthen the accountability of online platforms operating in the country.

The proposal was discussed during a meeting between Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Executive Director Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso and Discord Senior Public Policy Advisor for Asia-Pacific Vasundhara Singh at the CICC headquarters in Quezon City on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Singh's visit followed Discord's earlier commitment to work with Philippine authorities in addressing online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OSAEC) and threats linked to nihilistic violence extremism.

During the meeting, Singh said Discord was open to establishing local representation through a law firm, provided the arrangement would satisfy the requirements of proposed legislation and enable the platform to respond effectively to government concerns.

“If the local presence is sufficient, we already spoke to your office, and we’re happy to find a law firm that represents us, as we’ve done in Korea, Japan, a lot of these countries,” Singh said.

She emphasized the distinction between appointing a local legal representative and establishing a physical office, noting that the appropriate arrangement should depend on the government's regulatory objectives.

Under the proposal, a Philippine-based representative could serve as a point of contact for government agencies handling online safety concerns, regulatory inquiries, and other urgent matters involving the platform.

Paraiso, however, stressed that any designated local representative should have sufficient authority to make decisions on behalf of the company, particularly when dealing with urgent or sensitive issues.

“If we’re gearing towards not setting up a Philippine office, not a physical office, but more of a Philippine representative, it has to have some sort of power and discretion to decide over various issues that are, like I said, imminent, crucial, or difficult,” Paraiso said.

The CICC has been engaging online platforms as part of government efforts to strengthen coordination in responding to cybercrime, harmful online activities, and digital safety threats.

The discussion also covered the potential impact of mandatory physical office requirements on technology companies operating in the Philippines.

Singh cautioned that imposing the same requirements on platforms of different sizes could create challenges for smaller technology businesses and startups, particularly those with limited resources.

She suggested that regulations consider differences in business operations while maintaining effective mechanisms for government coordination and accountability.

Both sides discussed how a properly authorized local representative could help facilitate communication between Discord and Philippine authorities.

However, the specific arrangement remains subject to the final provisions of the proposed legislation in Congress, including the obligations that would apply to online platforms operating in the Philippines.