Digital safety initiatives launch in Pakistan and Philippines

In Pakistan, JazzWorld has partnered with Google to launch Digital Pasban, a national online safety initiative. The program aims to reach 200,000 households using Urdu-language resources, parental toolkits, and school-based safety clinics to help families navigate digital risks. The initiative involves multiple stakeholders, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Tech Valley, and the Beaconhouse School System.

Separately, in the Philippines, cybersecurity expert Albert Dela Cruz has proposed a national digital safety framework following two school shootings in Tacloban City and Zamboanga. Dela Cruz argues that banning specific apps is insufficient and instead calls for mandatory child-safety controls on devices and platforms by default. His white paper highlights risks such as algorithmic recommendation systems, unmoderated chats, and weak age verification, suggesting that the burden of protection should shift from parents to systemic design and government-led digital literacy programs.