Updated September 24, 2026. Reddit says it received 12 requests from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in July–December 2025 seeking removal of 74 pieces of content allegedly defamatory of politicians and other public figures. It removed none of those 74 items because it found no violations of its platform rules. Reddit described the material as criticism of public figures, allegations of corruption, and commentary on newsworthy events. This account comes from Reddit’s own transparency report; the underlying requests and individual posts are not reproduced there.
Quick answer: The report establishes that the requests were made and that Reddit did not remove the identified content. It does not establish that every allegation in the posts was true, that a court ruled on the requests, or that all allegedly defamatory posts are legally protected.
What exactly does the Reddit report count?
| Measure | What Reddit reported |
|---|---|
| Reporting period | July 1–December 31, 2025 |
| Notable NBI/PNP requests | 12 removal requests identifying 74 pieces of content |
| Outcome for those 74 items | None removed on the basis described in the report |
| All Philippine government/law enforcement removal requests in the same report | 13 in Reddit’s country summary; the report does not explain the remaining request in the notable-request paragraph |
The 12 requests in Reddit’s Philippine case study and the 13 requests in its country ranking are different figures. The report does not identify the content, targets, or disposition of the thirteenth request in that paragraph. Nor does it break down how many of the 12 came from the NBI versus the PNP. Avoid reading the numbers as 74 separate legal orders or as 74 findings of unlawful speech.
Was the CICC behind these 12 requests?
Reddit names the NBI and PNP as the sources of the 12 notable requests. It does not name the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) as a requester for those 74 items. The CICC’s more recent dealings with Reddit and Discord in September 2026 are a separate development. CyberCode’s report on the Discord restriction and Reddit discussions explains that dispute; it should not be folded into the 2025 takedown count.
Does Reddit’s refusal settle the legal question?
No. A platform’s decision under its content rules is different from a Philippine court’s determination of libel or other liability. Article III, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution protects freedom of speech, expression and the press. Philippine law also recognizes potential liability for defamatory expression, including online libel under RA 10175, Section 4(c)(4). Whether a particular post is actionable depends on its words, context, evidence, applicable law and procedure. Reddit’s report provides no post-level record sufficient to decide those questions.
There is a further distinction between a voluntary request sent to a platform, a valid court order, an agency direction to an internet service provider, a request for user-account information, and a platform’s own moderation. These are different acts with different consequences. Reddit describes the 12 as government and law enforcement content removal requests; it does not say that its refusal adjudicated Philippine law or that an order compelled these removals.
Why the case matters for online political speech
Requests aimed at commentary on politicians warrant close public scrutiny because mistakes can suppress reporting and debate on matters of public interest. In Disini v. Secretary of Justice, the Supreme Court struck down Section 19 of RA 10175, which had allowed the DOJ to restrict or block computer data on a prima facie finding without judicial intervention. That ruling is relevant to broad administrative blocking, but it does not itself decide the validity of these specific platform requests.
The practical questions for any similar request are: What precise content is identified? What legal ground and evidence are supplied? Is the request narrow enough to address actual harm? Is there judicial oversight or a route to contest it? And does the public have enough transparency to tell a legitimate safety response from an attempt to suppress criticism? Those are questions for the requesting agency and platform to answer; they are not facts established by Reddit’s summary.
What should a user do if a public-interest post is flagged or removed?
- Save the exact post, URL, screenshots, publication date, source material, and the platform’s notice before editing anything.
- Separate verifiable facts from opinion and allegations. Keep documents supporting factual claims, and correct material errors promptly.
- Use the platform’s appeal process and ask which rule or legal request was applied. A platform decision is distinct from a legal case.
- If served with a formal legal demand, preserve the document and obtain advice on the specific deadline and response. Avoid assuming Reddit’s decision in this case resolves your own.
- Readers reporting corruption should protect sources and private data; avoid sharing unnecessary personal identifiers.
What remains unknown
Reddit did not publish the 74 posts or the underlying requests in this notable-request summary. It did not disclose the named politicians, the agencies’ legal reasoning, or the disposition of the thirteenth Philippine request reflected in its aggregate count. The company’s statement establishes its moderation outcome for these identified items; it does not independently verify the truth of the corruption claims.
Sources and related reading
- Reddit transparency report, July–December 2025 — primary source for the counts and removal outcome.
- 1987 Constitution, Article III, Section 4 — speech and press protections.
- Cybercrime Prevention Act, RA 10175 — online libel provision.
- Supreme Court’s Disini decision — ruling on Section 19.
- CyberCode: House Bill 4786 and free speech on social platforms — related news analysis.
- CyberCode: What the CICC does — agency guide.
Featured image: illustrative stock photography; it does not depict the requests or the people involved.