Leading digital solutions platform Globe continues to step up its campaign against illegal sites carrying child pornography content and online gambling, blocking 11,320 URLs and 502 domains hosting lewd content, as well as 194 domains of illegal gambling since the start of the year.
Since it launched the #MakeITSafePH initiative in 2017, Globe has clamped down on 3,975 domains and 57,785 URLs featuring child pornography. Through the advocacy, Globe educates consumers on rampant cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and how they can protect minors from such risks.
Globe has invested over $2.7 million in content filtering systems that block websites and imagery that promote child pornography, illegal gambling, and online piracy.
This is in line with Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009. The law mandates all internet service providers (ISPs) such as Globe to install technology, programs, or software to ensure that access to or transmittal of child pornography will be blocked or filtered.
“Globe is strongly committed to helping address child pornography in the country, which has become a troubling societal issue. We actively support government efforts to curtail these illegal activities through site blocking, and education and awareness campaigns,” said Globe’s Chief Privacy Officer Irish Salandanan-Almeida.
Globe is working closely with relevant government agencies including the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Justice (DOJ), and partner organizations such as the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators and UNICEF.
It has also partnered with the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to boost protection of children online. IWF provides a secure and anonymous place to report suspected child sexual abuse images and videos that they find on the Internet.
Through UNICEF’s SaferKidsPH, Globe is also pushing for responsible online behavior and promoting the rights and well-being of every child. SaferKidsPH carries the Globe Digital Thumbprint Program, an educational program that teaches responsible digital citizenship to students, teachers, parents, and netizens.
The Philippines is among the world’s leading sources of content rooted in OSAEC, according to a study led by the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Globe supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, highlighting the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. It is committed to upholding the UN Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.