Globe, Smart, PLDT to block sites that stream school shootings, violent content, among others
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Globe Telecom, PLDT Inc., and its wireless unit, Smart Communications, are set to block websites that show school shootings and other acts of extreme violence. This follows the Zamboanga school shooting on Aug. 18, 2026, which left two students dead and in which the shooter livestreamed the incident.
In a statement, PLDT said this is part of its broader commitment to keeping its networks safe, especially for children and young people exposed to harmful online content.
“This is something that we do not tolerate,” PLDT COO Butch Jimenez said. “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,” Jimenez added.
In a separate statement, Globe General Counsel Froilan Castelo said last Friday: “We have a responsibility to help make the online environment safer, especially for children and young people. As new risks emerge, we need to keep looking at what more we can do.”
“The recent school shooting incident is one opportunity where the industry can work together by removing sites that induce violence in our networks. At Globe, we are ready to do our part and protect children online, Castelo added.