PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. will block more than 100 websites that stream or host footage of school shootings and other acts of extreme violence.
The sites will be blocked at the network level, making them inaccessible to PLDT and Smart subscribers. The move aims to limit access to online content that glorifies violence, particularly among children and young people.
“This is something we do not tolerate,” said Butch Jimenez, COO, PLDT. “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.”
PLDT said it will continue adding websites to the blocklist as they are identified through its monitoring efforts. The company will also coordinate with government agencies, child protection organizations, and parenting communities to find harmful sites.
The network-level action allows PLDT and Smart to restrict access without requiring subscribers to install parental controls or other security tools. However, the company did not disclose the names of the websites or when the blocking would be completed.
“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.”