PLDT, Smart and Palo Alto Networks partner to protect children online

PLDT and Smart create pioneering Child Protection Platform to foster a safe online environment for children, together with Palo Alto Networks.

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, is working with PLDT, Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless unit, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) to strengthen the two telcos’ Child Protection Platform and enable a safer online experience for children. The platform has blocked more than 1 billion attempts to access URLs with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) since November 2021.

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A recent report revealed that in 2020 an estimated 2 million children in the Philippines were exposed to content that is considered inappropriate. The same report also highlighted that one in five children in the Philippines aged 12 to 17 encountered CSAM while using the internet. PLDT’s and Smart’s Child Protection Platform is a cybersecurity solution developed to address these problems by blocking illegal CSAM traffic at the content level, thereby effectively restricting access to CSAM that have found their way into legitimate domains. 

PLDT and Smart have long been at the forefront of the global fight against online child abuse and human trafficking, as part of its efforts to uphold the child protection principles of Republic Act No. 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009.

PLDT and Smart have also joined peers and other stakeholders from the private and government sectors in calling for the immediate passage of the Anti-OSAEC bill. The proposed law will institutionalize the taking down of websites that stream or host CSAM, as well as impose stiffer penalties against parties involved in child abuse cases.

“Protecting children online is of paramount importance to PLDT and Smart – it’s in our DNA. As the Philippines’ leading wireless provider, we wanted to engage with a partner with deep technical expertise and a shared mission to build a safe internet for children,” said Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer at PLDT and Smart. “Palo Alto Networks demonstrated the capabilities to be at the core of our platform and provide consistent security and visibility across our network. Since it was imperative that the solution needed to be tailor-built to suit our needs, we were on the lookout for an innovative cybersecurity partner, which we found in Palo Alto Networks.” 

Powered by Palo Alto Networks’ technology, PLDT and Smart’s Child Protection Platform blocks traffic at the content level and comply with regulatory requirements pertaining to illegal CSAM. Palo Alto Network Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) and Cloud-Delivered Security Services including Threat Prevention, Advanced URL Filtering and WildFire scrutinize the content and convert URLs for redirection if CSAM-related traffic is found. Through the matching of blocked URLs against the blocked listing policy, the solution put in place will then alert PLDT and Smart that the user is trying to access CSAM.

“As the attack surface for children is expanding due to increased time spent online for academics and entertainment, a scalable cybersecurity solution is needed to be implemented to ensure their online safety,” said Oscar Visaya, Philippine country manager at Palo Alto Networks. “Providing the technological infrastructure for the Child Protection Platform, our collaboration with PLDT and Smart and their extensive network coverage will accelerate our vision of protecting the next generation from CSAM content.”

As the need to protect children from online harm continues to grow, Palo Alto Networks ensures that the solution it provides to the PLDT and Smart Child Protection Platform is designed with scale and speed to integrate any future challenges that may arise in fighting perpetrators of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.