Major telecom provider Globe becomes latest company to join IWF efforts to fight child sexual abuse on the internet

A new partnership between the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines, Globe Telecom Inc. (Globe), will help keep children safer online worldwide at a critical moment.

Globe has joined the IWF as a member, and will be able to use IWF services to keep their services clear, like the IWF’s URL List. 

The company operates the largest mobile network in the country and one of the largest fixed-line and broadband networks. The new partnership will offer an extra layer of protection to Globe’s over 85 million subscribers. 

The URL list is a list of webpages confirmed as containing child sexual abuse images or videos. IWF Member companies can use this service to block or filter these sites for their users’ protection, and to prevent the repeat victimisation of the children in the images.

By joining the IWF and taking services such us the IWF URL List, Globe shows its commitment to better protect its employees and customers from the emotional and legal dangers of stumbling over child sexual abuse imagery whilst protecting those victims who’ve had images or videos of their abuse so cruelly shared online. 

Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO said: “Our commitment to provide Filipinos with a safe space online has always been a priority for us at Globe. We understand that technological innovation comes with responsibility and as a digital solutions group, this partnership with the IWF will allow us to maximize our resources and create real impact for our customers so that they can feel safe as they use our services.”

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “Today we welcome Globe to our growing network of international organisations devoted to making the internet a safer place for all users, especially for children worldwide. Only by working together with partners around the world we are able to lead the fight against online child sexual abuse images and videos and stop the revictimization of child victims of this cruel crime.

“We are looking forward to working collaboratively with Globe to promote a safer digital environment and support their child protection initiatives in the country.” 

In 2020, IWF analysts dealt with a record number of reports of online child sexual abuse material, as the coronavirus crisis saw more people than ever relying on the internet to learn, work, and socialise.

Find out more about becoming a Member and the services the IWF can provide here https://www.iwf.org.uk/our-technology/our-services/.

Images and videos of online child sexual abuse can be reported anonymously at https://report.iwf.org.uk/en.

The public is given this advice when making a report:

• Do report images and videos of child sexual abuse to the IWF to be removed. Reports to the IWF are anonymous.
• Do provide the exact URL where child sexual abuse images are located.
• Don’t report other harmful content – you can find details of other agencies to report to on the IWF’s website.
• Do report to the police if you are concerned about a child’s welfare,
• Do report only once for each web address – or URL. Repeat reporting of the same URL isn’t needed and wastes analysts’ time.
• Do report non-photographic visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children, such as computer-generated images. Anything of this nature, which is also hosted in the UK, the IWF can get removed.