The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is ramping up action to stop the spread of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) and other dangerous online content, responding to growing risks that expose children and young Filipinos to graphic violence, exploitation, and materials that can encourage harmful behavior.
DICT Secretary Henry R. Aguda said the government is tightening coordination with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), Philippine National Police (PNP), telcos, internet service providers, and digital platforms. The goal: stronger threat tracking, faster information sharing, and better network-wide protections.
This push has led major providers to expand voluntary blocking of sites carrying graphic violence, school attack footage, child sexual abuse material, scams, and other prohibited content. Globe Telecom, PLDT Inc., Smart Communications, and Converge ICT Solutions are all stepping up network safeguards as part of this joint government-industry effort.
“These efforts are part of our continuing work to protect Filipinos — especially children and young people — from harmful content and threats like NVE,” Aguda said. “This is Digital Bayanihan in action: government and industry working together to keep our digital spaces safe.”
PLDT and Smart have started preemptively blocking over 100 domains linked to extreme violence.
Globe is expanding blocks on sites containing graphic real-world violence. In 2025 alone, it blocked 438,446 domains tied to child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Converge reported it blocked nearly 12 billion harmful access attempts and blacklisted over 72,000 domains in 2025.
These measures are part of broader child protection and anti-abuse initiatives, done in partnership with Philippine agencies and international child safety organizations.
“Keeping the internet safe is a shared responsibility,” Aguda added. “We call on all partners to stay vigilant, act responsibly, and work with us to stop harmful content from fueling violence, exploitation, or dangerous acts.”
