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Tech companies' role in child abuse, exploitation: Sen. Risa Hontiveros calls for greater accountability from tech companies in fighting online child exploitation. Hontiveros, chairperson of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, said abuse and exploitation of children had increased over the years due to the advancement in technology. “With the internet and the widespread accessibility of various apps, transactions have become easier than ever,” Hontiveros said Thursday, April 3, 2025 during an inquiry on the proliferation of online sexual abuse and exploitation in the Philippines. She said the crucial role of internet intermediaries such as internet service providers, web hosting providers, internet search engine and portals, internet payment system providers, instant messaging technologies and social media platforms to stop child exploitation and abuse had been recognized in Republic Act 11930, otherwise known as the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM). However, Hontiveros lamented that advertising and spread of CSAEM continue to proliferate. She said her office had received numerous reports about its spread on facebook, twitter and even messaging apps like telegram. “In this hearing, we will investigate new ways of producing, trafficking and distributing CSAEM, the performance of internet intermediaries in their legal obligations and the adequacy of the performance of internet intermediaries in their legal obligations and the adequacy of the response of government agencies to eradicate OSAEC-CSAEM,” Hontiveros said. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)