PLDT Inc. and wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. are set to block more than 100 websites found to be streaming or hosting footage of school shootings and other acts of extreme violence, as part of the PLDT Group’s broader online safety efforts.
The companies said the initiative is designed to help protect users, particularly children and young people, from harmful online content. The websites will be blocked at the network level, making them inaccessible to PLDT and Smart subscribers.
“This is something we do not tolerate,” said PLDT Chief Operating Officer Butch Jimenez. He said the companies will proactively block websites of this nature as soon as they are identified.
The list of blocked sites is expected to expand as PLDT and Smart identify additional sources through their own monitoring efforts and coordination with government agencies, child protection organizations, and parenting communities.
“There is no debate to be had here,” Jimenez said. “Content that turns real-world violence into entertainment has no place on our networks and in our society, and we will keep acting decisively every time we find it.”
The initiative builds on the PLDT Group’s existing child protection and online safety programs, including efforts to block websites hosting child sexual abuse material.
By implementing network-level blocking and monitoring for emerging sources, PLDT and Smart said they aim to make their networks safer while limiting access to online content that could expose children and other users to extreme violence.
