Philippines telecommunications firm Globe Telecom Inc said it blocked 1,345 domains in its network for illegal gambling content in the first quarter of 2024, representing a massive 967% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
In a statement issued Monday, Globe said the quarter included 260 illegal gambling sites blocked in January, rising to 855 in February and 230 in March. However, it also noted a huge increase in illegal gambling sites in recent years – the company blocked just 52 sites in 2021, jumping to 396 in 2022 and then 4,237 in 2023.
Globe’s Chief Information Security Officer, Anton Bonifacio, said the availability of such sites can have “devastating financial and social consequences”.
“We have an ethical obligation to make the internet safer and are continuing our relentless push to identify and prevent access to these unlawful sites on our network,” he said, adding that Globe deploys network-level blocking measures and the deployment of content filtering systems to tackle the problem.
Globe has invested US$2.7 million to improve the capability of its content filtering infrastructure to detect and restrict websites and imagery that promote illegal content, Bonifacio explained.
“This forms a key pillar of the company’s aggressive #MakeITSafePH program to foster a secure online environment,” he said.
RelatedPosts
