THE number of child pornography and illegal gambling sites blocked by Globe Telecom has increased as of the first of the year compared in the same period in 2023.
Globe, however, noted , a decline in bank-related spam and scam messages in the same period.
Globe has blocked 1,718 domains and 190,167 URLs related to child pornography six months into the year, a significant increase compared to 1,295 domains and 129,652 URLs blocked a year ago.
The company also said it has intensified its crackdown on illegal gambling sites, deactivating 2,726 domains in the first six months of 2024, compared to 1,828 in the same period the previous year.
“Globe is focused on creating a safer online environment for all, especially for children. Our increased efforts to restrict access to harmful content reflect our dedication to upholding the highest standards of online safety,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security and chief AI officer.
Globe has earmarked over $2.7 million in advanced content filtering systems to enhance its capabilities in detecting and blocking illegal content.
The company also collaborated with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Justice, Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators, and non-government organizations to bolster child protection online.
Globe said its proactive measures are crucial in addressing the alarming trend, highlighted by a study from US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which identified the Philippines as a leading source of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children content.
Meanwhile, the number of blocked text messages in bank-related spam and scam short message service (SMS) has dropped by 44 percent to 2.7 million in the first half of the year, compared to the 4.86 million messages blocked in the same period last year, Globe said.
“Our collective efforts with the banking sector have significantly strengthened our fight against spam and scam SMS targeting depositors. By working together and sharing critical intelligence, combined with our enhanced detection and blocking systems, we can now better protect our customers from illegal activities,” said Bonifacio.
The company has allocated approximately $20 million to enhance its spam and scam SMS detection and blocking systems to prevent fraudulent messages from reaching consumers.
It operates a 25/7 Security Operations Center that filters out unwanted messages, including app-to-person and person-to-person SMS from international and domestic sources.
Amid this decline, Globe calls on mobile users to remain vigilant amid emerging scam schemes that evade cellular networks, including the use of chat apps and fake cell towers that are able to send messages without telco detection.