PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. announced today that they will block more than one hundred websites found to be streaming or hosting footage of school shootings and other acts of extreme violence.
The move is part of the PLDT Group’s broader commitment to keeping its networks safe, particularly for children and young people who are increasingly exposed to harmful content online.
“This is something we do not tolerate,” said PLDT Chief Operating Officer Butch Jimenez. “We have decided to ban these kinds of sites preemptively, as soon as they are discovered. Our networks will not be used as a channel for content that glorifies violence and puts our communities, especially our children, at risk.”
The company said the list of blocked sites will continue to grow as new ones are identified through its own monitoring efforts and in coordination with government agencies, child protection organizations, and parenting communities. Blocking is carried out at the network level, meaning the sites become inaccessible to all PLDT and Smart subscribers.
“There is no debate to be had here,” Jimenez added. “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 ongoing child protection and online safety programs, which include the blocking of sites hosting child sexual abuse material.
