Globe Now Blocks 100,000 Per Day Spam/Scam Messages From Other Networks

Aimed at further reducing, if not eliminating, spam/scam messages that goes through its network, Globe Telecom further stepped up its anti-spam/scam campaign and is now able to block annoying unsolicited messages coming from other telco providers.

Anton Bonifacio, Globe Chief Information Security Officer revealed that Globe started blocking an estimated 100,000 spam/scam messages per day coming from other networks, beginning last August 16. “We now block an average of 300,000 spam/scam messages daily coming from both Globe and other networks,” Bonifacio said.

The company activated in February this year a fully automated mechanism to rid its network of spam and scam messages. Under the first phase of the program, the anti-spam mechanism blocked spam/scam messages coming from Globe network SIMs. Entering into the second phase of the program, Globe further enhanced its anti-spamming tool to include messages sent by other network SIMs.

“Globe is now a step closer towards totally eradicating the transmittal of spam and scam messages to our customers. The company will continue with the optimization process of the blocking mechanism to stamp out transmittal of such messages whether or not they are coming from the Globe network,” Bonifacio said.

“The company has already blocked around 50 million spam/scam messages since February this year when its new blocking tool was set in place, with a daily average blocked messages of around 200,000 from Globe network alone,” Bonifacio said. The enhanced mechanism now covers the company’s mobile postpaid customers of more than 2.5 million and majority of its prepaid customers of close to 59 million.

Globe Telecom’s blocking tool comprises a new hardware and software solution with complex anti-spam algorithms, with a capacity that can filter up to 1 billion SMS a day.  By design, the filtering mechanism can be reconfigured to address the kind of spam and scam messages that goes through the Globe network.  Prior to the establishment of a new blocking mechanism in February this year, Globe first operationalized an automated filtering functionality that reduced the number of messages going through the Globe network in September 2014.