Telcos ready to block more sites promoting violence

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s biggest internet service providers (ISPs) are taking online safety a notch higher by preventing Filipinos, especially the youth, from accessing malicious platforms promoting violent activities.

In a statement, Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO and co-founder Dennis Anthony Uy said the ISP has blocked nearly 12 billion attempts to enter dangerous sites and blacklisted around 12,000 domains with malicious content in 2025.

“We have always taken a hardline position against dangerous and illicit content harming the most vulnerable in our society, especially children,” Uy said.

Uy said Converge complies with due process before blocking access to a site, in line with its human rights policy. Converge works with local regulators and international groups like Internet Watch Foundation in preventing harmful activities from perpetuating its network.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom Inc. general counsel Froilan Castelo said the telco has blocked 438,446 tries to access child sexual abuse and exploitation materials in 2025. Globe committed to beef up online safety by blocking sites that host gore materials.

Castelo said the recent streak of school violence calls upon the telco industry to act together and be ready to strengthen internet safety.

Last week telco giant PLDT Inc. took the initiative to ban more than 100 sites that stream videos of school violence in response to the shooting tragedy at Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

PLDT chief operating officer Menardo Jimenez Jr. was quick to dismiss potential backfires that the telco may be overstepping in prohibiting access to these sites.

“There is no debate to be had here. Content that turns real-world violence into entertainment has no place on our networks and in our society and we will keep on acting decisively every time we find it,” Jimenez said.

ISPs are being demanded by lawmakers to take a more proactive stance in keeping children safe online in the wake of another school shooting that left two dead, including the shooter.

Likewise, authorities are on the lookout for nihilistic violent extremism networks where children are being indoctrinated to carry out school violence in the form of shooting and stabbing.