PLDT, Smart laud CICC for DFPAL launch
Telecommunication companies PLDT and its subsidiary Smart Communication commend the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) for launching its latest Digital Forensics Platform and Laboratory (DFPAL) in Quezon City, Philippines.
The DFPAL is a state-of-the-art facility aimed at boosting government efforts against cybercrimes — particularly online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
In a statement, the company said DFPAL would enable the CICC to monitor and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies in conducting thorough digital and forensic investigations and assist them in identifying, apprehending, and convicting entities associated with OSAEC.
PLDT and Smart Chief Information Security Officer Angel Redoble said, “We have fortified our cyber defenses and strengthened our coordination with the government to make the internet safer for kids.”
PLDT and Smart have scaled initiatives to support the government’s efforts to clamp down on online child abuse. This includes creating a child protection platform that blocks websites directly related to OSAEC and urging President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the Anti-OSAEC Act before his term ends on June 30, 2022.
The bill is set to institutionalize the shutdown of websites that stream or host materials showing abuse of minors and impose stiffer penalties against parties involved in child abuse cases.
