The PLDT Group said on Thursday it has identified nearly two million URLs containing online child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM) since June 2021, as PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group blocked more than 650,000 attempts to access such links in January to August.
‘Guided by our child safeguarding policy, we have adopted a child safety-by-design approach across our products and services,’ said Roby Alampay, FVP and Head of Public Engagement at PLDT and Smart.
‘Recognizing the scale of the problem, we continue to welcome collaboration with child safety advocates to help create a safer digital space where children can thrive.’
He noted that central to PLDT’s efforts is its Child Protection Platform, which blocks CSAEM at the content level.
Furthermore, the group’s partnerships with the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Project Arachnid have bolstered the company’s detection and blacklisting capabilities.
The group has likewise embedded its child-protection framework into community awareness campaigns. Through its program, PLDT and Smart have reached over 100,000 participants nationwide, including students, teachers, parents, barangay officials, MSMEs, farmers, seniors, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples.
Unicef noted that in 2021 alone, two million children in the Philippines were subjected to online sexual abuse and exploitation. Children reported that they experienced grooming and received offers of gifts or money in exchange for sexual acts.
‘Some were threatened or blackmailed to engage in sexual acts. Due to stigma, disclosure is disproportionately low-despite various reporting channels. Only 0-4 per cent of victims ever reported, and only 0-3 per cent know how to report to the police or to helplines.’
Unicef also noted 44 percent of children do not know where to get help if they or a friend were subjected to sexual abuse or harassment online; while 50 percent of them added people as friends on social media even if they had never met face-to-face.