CICC bans "chaotic" online game GoreBox after Tacloban school shooting

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) temporarily banned the gaming app GoreBox after a school shooting in Tacloban City that killed three students.

CICC bans GoreBox

Mobile game banned following school shooting

The decision came as authorities reported that one of the Grade 9 students linked to the chaos was an avid player of the game.

Introduced about three years ago, creators branded the game as "a chaotic, physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction."

We are blocking Gorebox temporarily as a precautionary measure pending the investigation. Within the day, expect the app to be blocked. We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident. Temporarily blocking the game will allow authorities to conduct a thorough assessment of whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects, said CICC undersecretary Aboy Paraiso.

The group's Threat Monitoring Center, in partnership with the Council for the Welfare of Children, likewise launched a tighter surveillance of similar games "that may pose risks to young users," Paraiso added.

Our priority is the safety and well-being of Filipino children exposed to the internet… [This is] to ensure that appropriate interventions are made immediately, the official added.

Source: CICC