PLDT, Globe heighten efforts vs online sexual abuse of children

Telco giants Globe Telecom and PLDT have intensified their crackdown against online child pornography.

File photo: PLDT and Globe logos

PH telcos boost fight against the exploitation of children online

PLDT Group in a statement said it has already invested about PHP 2 billion to strengthen its cybersecurity center versus online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer of PLDT, Smart and ePLDT, said the group's cybersecurity operations center can predict, prevent, detect, and respond to all types of cyber threats.

As mandated by the National Telecommunications Commission, PLDT Group also blocked 3,020 domains that host illicit materials featuring children.

It's a combination of technologies. We bring our customers to our child protection platform where we reference the content they’re trying to access against our database. When they’re trying to open any offensive content, they’re brought to a landing page telling them that the material violates the country’s anti-child porn laws, Redoble said.

In a separate statement, Globe also said it is boosting its efforts to help the government stomp the proliferation of sexual abuse and exploitation of children online.

As a company whose business is connecting many Filipinos to the internet, Globe sees paramount importance in keeping its customers, particularly children, safe online, said Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications at Globe.

To push for responsible online behavior, Globe teamed up with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), a UN organization that promotes the rights and well-being of every child, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children.