PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) help instill safe online practices among college students at Far Eastern University (FEU) in Manila and senior high school students at Jose Rizal University (JRU) in Mandaluyong, as tools powered by Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) become more accessible.
“Criminals have turned to A.I. to run their schemes, making it more difficult to identify them. PLDT and Smart enlist the youth in the fight against cybercrimes. As digital natives, the youth are in a position to quickly adapt to new innovations and advocate for their responsible use,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.
The first part of the module discussed identifying phishing attacks and other cyber threats including those generated by A.I. so students can safely navigate the online world. Cyber criminals use A.I. to craft phishing messages, clone voices and even perform outbound calls.
“Be careful when sharing things about you on social media because not all information should be shared with the public. Remember, criminals may use your data to assume your identity or infiltrate your digital accounts,” reminded Elijah Mendoza, Digital Communications Senior Manager at PLDT and Smart.
Kristian Aemil Pagurayan, PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group awareness, training and user adoption junior manager
Other than understanding A.I.-aided cyber-attacks, students from JRU also learned about internet hygiene from Kristian Aemil Pagurayan, Awareness, Training and User Adoption Junior Manager at PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group, to further secure their data and prevent their devices from getting compromised.
“You are the best protection against cyber-attacks so you need to #BeCyberSmart. Take time to read about threats and how you can secure yourself and your devices from getting breached,” said Pagurayan.
Finally, PLDT and Smart also promoted the importance of caring for one's mental health in the digital age through Katrina Dominique Mallari, PLDT Lead Community Relations Associate for Luzon.
“Let’s practice self-care. Show compassion to your own self. Treat yourself like a friend. Continue to stay connected with your support group and reach out when the need arises,” reminded Mallari.
PLDT and Smart help instill safe online practices among college students at FEU.
“Familiarizing ourselves with AI powered applications is essential so that we can develop the ability to differentiate what is real and what is generated by AI. We can further protect ourselves in the age of AI by being mindful of what we do online,” said Tamiya Gale Valera, an Information Technology major specializing in Cybersecurity at FEU.
“We appreciate PLDT and Smart’s proactive approach to cybersecurity by sharing #BeCyberSmart tips on protecting ourselves against cyberthreats. We hope that our students will learn to embrace safe online practices and put boundaries to protect their mental health,” said Lorraine Parangue, Director, Guidance and Testing Office at JRU.
The efforts of PLDT and Smart to share #BeCyberSmart tips are rooted in their customer-centric culture where they aim to elevate the quality of customer experience by protecting them from threats and cyber-attacks. The initiative also promotes mental health which is aligned with the PLDT Group’s digital wellness advocacy. Aside from promoting the #BeCyberSmart culture, PLDT and Smart also relentlessly keep customers, including the youth and children, secure from cyber-attacks by preventing attempts to open malicious domains, and blacklisting malicious URLs and links tied to phishing, spams, hoaxes and other illegal activities. These programs highlight the PLDT Group’s commitment to helping the nation achieve UNSDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being and UNSDG 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong institutions.
