PLDT Group Reports Nearly 2M Child Abuse URLs Identified Since 2021

PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group blocked more than 650,000 attempts to access online child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) in the first eight months of the year. Since June 2021, the PLDT Group has identified nearly two million URLs containing exploitative child content.

The data was shared as the PLDT Group reaffirmed its commitment to fighting online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) at the NGO Summit organized by the Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT).

“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.”

The PLDT Group takes a multi-pronged approach to child online protection — combining technology, company culture, multi-sector collaboration, and public awareness campaigns to develop programs that make an impact.

At the core of these efforts is PLDT’s pioneering Child Protection Platform, which blocks CSAEM at the content level. Membership in the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Project Arachnid has strengthened the company’s ability to detect malicious links and blacklist them from its network.

Technology is complemented by community engagement programs that raise awareness of OSAEC.

Through its Better Today for Kids initiative, more than 400 students from eight schools in Antipolo, Rizal, were recently taught how to #BeCyberSmart, in support of the DOJ IACAT’s series of awareness caravan on human trafficking and OSAEC.

In Norzagaray, Bulacan, over 30 teachers learned how AI is now being misused to create CSAEM, knowledge they can share with parents and students.

In Calamba, Laguna, PLDT and Smart briefed barangay officials on how criminals exploit AI to produce realistic child images during Project Bayanihan.

The companies also donated copies of “Ang Paglalakbay ni Tala” (Tala’s Adventure), a children’s book co-developed with Kids for Kids PH and the Positive Youth Development Network. The story introduces digital rights and online safety in a child-friendly way, while also warning about dangers on the internet.

The PLDT Group also shared its child protection framework with around 100 representatives from government, civil society, academe, and the private sector during a Barangay IACAT event in Zamboanga City.

To date, the PLDT Group’s #BeCyberSmart program has reached over 100,000 students, children, teachers, parents, LGU staff, farmers, MSMEs, seniors, people with disabilities, and indigenous peoples nationwide.

PLDT and Smart are committed to continuous investment in cybersecurity infrastructure to provide children with a secure online experience and protect them from predators. The PLDT Group also extends its cybersecurity culture to customers through awareness campaigns that encourage everyone to #BeCyberSmart.