As the bridge between content creators and content users, Globe Telecom strongly advocates against online piracy which enables illegal streaming or downloading of unfiltered content. A few years back, Globe launched its #PlayItRight anti-online piracy awareness campaign with the goal to educate customers about illegal content consumption, to protect the Filipino family, the local entertainment industry, and the content creation industry.

The campaign makes consumers aware that piracy websites can be hotbeds for illegal online activities, malware and other cybersecurity threats. “As a telco company, we at Globe strongly advocate legitimate content consumption to protect the country's vulnerable sector. We likewise uphold the work of creators who have put in a lot of resources and hard work into their content, and the industry that has been providing decent jobs for people,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

Through #PlayItRight, the telecommunications company wishes to help combat all these illicit content passing through its data networks, as well as protect customers against malware, ID theft, and ransomware that come with these pirated content and infect users’ electronic devices. Globe denounces the use of its data network for illegal online activities, including online child exploitation such as cybersex trafficking and child pornography. Yearly, the Philippines receives tens of thousands of reports of child exploitation which has become a scourge in the Filipino youth sector. A study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that the country is one of the “top global sources of child pornography.”

Due to the nature of its service, Globe has strongly advocated against illegal content because these multimedia content traverses its data highways. The rise of Illegal Streaming Devices (ISDs) has also made it much easier to get access to these pirated content, including child pornography. ISDs are set-top boxes that allow consumers to stream pirated content from illegal streaming servers.

Last year, #PlayItRight partnered with Optical Media Board (OMB), and Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) to educate the public against these widely used ISDs. A study commissioned by AVIA about Filipino consumers’ content viewing behavior revealed that 34% of consumers use an ISD to stream pirated television and video content, with a staggering two-thirds (66%) of online Filipino consumers have accessed streaming piracy websites or torrent sites.

Availing of such illicit content (pirated TV channels, live sports, channels and movies) robs content creators of revenues, which go instead into pockets of criminal syndicates and individuals. What’s worse is that consumers and some distributors might not even be aware that such devices are illegal under Republic Act 9239 or the Optical Media Act of 2003.