PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. are enhancing their mission to protect communities from digital-aided crime through the #BeCyberSmart initiative. They participated in a training session on “Cybercrime: Effective Reputation Management Techniques” for IT officers of local government units in Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. The training focused on the potential dangers and benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in addressing cybercrime and maintaining public trust.
“A.I. should be viewed as a tool, and as such, a human is in control of how the technology is used,” said Elijah Mendoza, Smart Sr. Manager for Digital Communications. “At the end of the day, A.I. is at our disposal and not the other way around.”
The session also touched on very timely topics, such as protecting one’s information and presence online and free AI-powered tools that can help ordinary people detect AI-generated stories, scams, images, and videos.
Ian Pagurayan of Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group (CSOG) Governance Team discussed the ethical considerations in cybersecurity and emphasized the need for proper policies to help protect user information and data online.
“By being aware and paranoid of cyber-threats, you are the first and last line of defense of the company and your customers,” said Pagurayan.
This training is part of the Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Initiative, a program of the International Telecommunication Union and Cisco implemented by the DICT in the Philippines, supported by PLDT and Smart as its sole telco partner. Under the partnership, PLDT and Smart are supporting DICT in its digital skills development programs to help strengthen the digital capacities of Filipinos, particularly in underserved communities. Last August, PLDT and Smart Chairman, President, and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan turned over the “DTC On-the-Go” package to DICT Secretary Ivan John Enrile Uy to help bring the digital upskilling training to far-flung communities.
PLDT and Smart have been conducting #BeCyberSmart sessions across various communities, increasingly adopting digital tools, including schools, LGUs, micro-, small-and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, and special interest groups, among others, since 2019. The #BeCyberSmart program and other efforts to advance cybersecurity awareness are fundamental to the PLDT Group’s much broader effort to elevate the quality of customer experience by protecting them from threats and attacks.
