Globe Telecom Inc. has blocked almost half a million child pornography sites in 2023, up by 22 percent from 2022, as part of its intensified online safety effort.
Globe said it has made a significant stride in ensuring online safety for children in 2023, blocking a total of 489,849 child pornography sites compared with 401,487 sites blocked in 2022.
The number of disabled URLs hosting lewd content went up by 21.8 percent to 486,802 in 2023 from 399,550 in the previous year, it added.
The blocked domains also surged by 56.5 percent to 3,047 in 2023 from 1,947 in the prior year.
“We believe that a safer digital environment for our children requires a multi-pronged approach. Beyond blocking harmful content, we want to foster a culture of vigilance, awareness, and collaboration to protect the most vulnerable members of our society from the pervasive threats that lurk online,” Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security officer, said in a statement.
In collaboration with the government and other stakeholders, Globe said it continues to enhance its capabilities to detect and block access to child pornography and other illegal sites.
Through its #MakeITSafePH campaign launched in 2017, Globe has aligned its efforts with Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, which requires all internet service providers to deploy technologies that prevent access to or transmission of child pornography.
Globe earlier invested $2.7 million in content filtering systems to upgrade its site-blocking capabilities. It works with government agencies and local and international organizations to bolster child protection online.
The Philippines is a leading source of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children content, according to the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
This underscores the imperative for a sustained effort to protect children online, Globe noted.
