PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications said they are boosting efforts against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
Angel Redoble, FVP and chief information security officer of ePLDT Group, PLDT Group, and Smart Communications, said the group will soon deploy a technology that will block access to sites that contain child porn materials.
“We have developed a system wherein when a user tries to access these malicious sites, they will automatically be redirected to another page that says the website they are trying to access violates Philippine laws. If everything goes as scheduled, we should have that capability before the year ends,” he said.
Redoble also said that the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has accepted PLDT-Smart’s application for membership. Once approved, the PLDT group will gain access to IWF’s database of Web pages linked to child porn allowing it to clamp down further on the trade of illicit content that feature children.
PLDT-Smart Center head and AVP for cyber security strategy and innovation Francisco Ashley Acedillo pointed out that upon the recommendation of the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), Smart has been shutting down Web pages that upload these prohibited materials.
“PLDT-Smart has blocked more than 2,900 sites linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children,” Acedillo said.
Citing data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Department of Justice has reported that online sexual abuse and exploitation of children cases more than tripled when the country was placed under Extreme Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the second quarter of the year.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to migrate to blended learning which requires children to spend more time on the internet to study.
UNICEF has warned about predators preying on children in cyberspace. But the child rights advocate has also reminded authorities that predators could be present at home. UNICEF said that job loss due to the public health crisis could pressure parents or guardians into forcing children to perform lewd acts online for money.
Redoble is asking the government, especially law enforcement agencies, to engage telcos in the fight against online child abuse and exploitation.
“We can share all our efforts and our best practices to help come up with more effective programs to combat these crimes,” he said.
PLDT and Smart, together with other players in the industry, have also been urging Congress to reconcile conflicting laws that hamper anti-child porn efforts.
The PLDT group has been actively seeking guidance on how to champion children’s welfare in its day-to-day operations. Acedillo said that after consultations with UNICEF, PLDT-Smart has integrated child-safeguarding policies into its business – a first in the Philippines. These cover various processes and programs for the workplace, marketing activities, product and service offerings, and trade community engagements.
