Google, Filipina sand artist collaborate to promote internet safety
MANILA, Philippines — The world is so much better with the internet. It speeds up things that would otherwise take time — and crude ways — to accomplish.Unfortunately, evil also lurks in the nooks and crannies and corners of the internet, with scammers and other unscrupulous persons just waiting to strike at the most unsuspecting victims.
This is why everyone has a role to play in making the internet a safe and responsible space, and no less than Google has taken upon itself to do its share to accomplish that goal.
As part of its Safer Internet Day campaign, Google recently collaborated with a talented Filipina artist, Monica Regalario-Cacatian, to promote internet safety. They used the power of sand art on Shorts to “educate” netizens on how to spot red flags and avoid falling prey to the traps set by criminals on cyberspace.
Google tapped Cacatian for her excellent use of sand as an art medium to spread positive messages online. She first rose to prominence on TV5’s "Talentadong Pinoy," a talent competition where she got to share the power of sand art to get a message across.
Aside from inspiring content, she uses her art to promote advocacies such as raising awareness for gender equality, and victims of sexual violence, child abuse and work displacement. She partners with her husband, multimedia artist John Cacatian, to produce and upload videos of her sand art on her YouTube channel.
In the collaboration with Google, Cacatian created a 60-second sand art content on YouTube Shorts, where she focused on simple tips that netizens can follow to be safer on the internet. These tips are:
- Secure your accounts using Google Passkeys.
- Avoid scams on SMS and online.
- Fact-check information.
- Educate others so they, too, can be safer on the internet.
With millions of Filipinos using YouTube and Shorts, promoting the creative content on the platform will surely reach and engage a lot of netizens.
To also show the use of responsible AI, Google and Cacatian used Bard, Google’s generative AI, to develop the script of the YouTube Shorts content.
“Google is committed to helping people be safer online. Aside from Google products, which are safe and secure by design, we deliver on this goal through several initiatives, including raising awareness and forging local partnerships. We believe that by collaborating with Filipina artists like Monica Cacatian, we can support local creatives and, at the same time, champion internet safety,” said Mervin Wenke, head of Communications and Public Affairs of Google in the Philippines.
“Sand art can be a creative and effective medium for promoting advocacies like internet safety. It offers a unique and entertaining way to tell stories which can engage audiences of all ages online,” said Cacatian. “I hope that this campaign will reach as many people as possible. May this project help educate Filipinos on how to use the internet safely and responsibly.”
She added: “I am deeply grateful to Google and the individuals behind this collaboration. Their dedication to support and promote local artists like me is really encouraging and will greatly benefit the creative community. It is truly fulfilling that my art can be of help in raising awareness about the importance of internet safety.”
Google has previously partnered with Ben&Ben for a catchy song and with a youth group for spoken word poetry on YouTube towards the same cause.
