Social media platform Reddit revealed in its transparency report from July to December 2025 that the Philippine government asked it it to remove 74 pieces of content critical of politicians and public figures, as well as allegations of corruption.
The request came from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to Reddit, they refused to comply with the request because their policy allows criticism of public figures, claims of government corruption, and general commentary.
“We received 12 removal requests from the National Bureau of Investigations and Philippines National Police reporting 74 pieces of content for alleged defamation of politicians and public figures. None of the reported content was removed as there were no Reddit Rules violations and the content involved criticism of public figures, claims of their involvement in corruption, and general commentary on newsworthy events,” said Reddit.
Reddit added that the the Philippines is among the top countries requesting content removal.
The social media platform explained that they have the right to deny the request for content removal if it is not in line with international law.
“Gov/LE officials may seek the removal of content for a variety of reasons, including alleged violations of local law. Reddit scrutinizes each request to determine its legal sufficiency. If there are any issues, we may push back, seek more context, or deny the request in whole or in part for any number of reasons, including that the request is overbroad or inconsistent with international law,” Reddit explained.
The said transparency report went viral on social media after the Philippine Government threatened to block Reddit due to ‘child safety’ concerns.