Can Software Protect Children?
F&E Interview with Security Software by EF&EG Staff -9/2006-
Computer Safety and security of children is a primary concern for parents today. Child predators are finding new ways to seek out children by way of the internet. They feed on the vulnerability and trusting nature of a child. It is imperative that we take control of our computers to ensure the safety of our children. Since 1997 Don Bastian, president of SecuritySoft.com, has been working closely with law enforcement to try and beat the predators at their own game. With a daughter and two sons, he fully understands the threat of this ongoing child predator problem on the internet.
“In 2002 there were 2,360 online child pornographic and exploitation cases investigated by the FBI,” says Bastian. “Less than 10% of suspected online predators are investigated due to a shortage of manpower.” He says there are an estimated 605 million people online worldwide, and the FBI estimates that one percent of online users are online predators.
Why did you start your company?
Considering the problem, Bastian decided there had to be a better way of tracking potential predators than screening all of the websites. “We saw early on that it would be impossible to keep up with the 3,000,000 or so new or renamed sites.”
How is your software different from other programs?
“Our technology monitors data as it comes in on the desktop, in two different locations, and then it is monitored again. In addition to various levels of monitoring, we scan email and attachments if they get through. We do allow scientific vocabulary to go unfiltered, where some other programs don’t. We are also working with the law against predators and pedophiles.”
How do you work with Law Enforcement?
Between 1998-2001 there was a1,500% increase in arrests for child-related pornography. “We help train parents and staff at local police academies.
“Dozens of probation departments are currently using our software as a tool to help monitor the computer activity of sex offenders on probation. It has become a court ordered mandate in many municipalities. We are currently working with the state of Wisconsin to make it a state mandate to require monitoring of sex offenders who are on probation on a local level. This will allow us to monitor exactly which sites the offender is visiting, including his online conversations.”
Why does your program work?
“It works because we get active participation from both school administrators and parents.” The computers are monitored for non-school related or deviant content and filtered accordingly. Security Soft data shows a marked improvement in school involvement following the installation of this system. Bastian describes what happened at one school.
“We placed an ISP filter in a school that had 450 school computers. On day one they noticed that 60-70% of the screen captures being viewed were non educational in nature. After two weeks we monitored well over 10,000 screen captures (violations). It wasn’t just URLs that were captured as questionable, it was chat rooms and Cds.
“After the school administrators saw the violations they placed a warning into the program for all 450 computers. The students then became aware of the warning. The school administrators immediately saw a reduction in screen capture violations.
They now average about four a day, instead of 1,000. At the end of the school year teachers saw the grade average go up 10 points. Once the kids knew the consequences of going to prohibited sites, their internet usage was re-directed towards more academic activities than before our software was in place.” What software programs are in place for schools now on the internet?
“We are dealing with a generation who have many that are computer illiterate. Some parents take for granted that AOL is protecting them, when often times it’s not. We have approximately 200 schools using our products. We offer five different types of programs, for parents, schools, businesses and government.
What about more laws to protect kids online like the Communications Decency
Act?
The Communications Decency Act was ruled unconstitutional last June. In a unanimous decision, the judges ruled that it would be unconstitutional to restrict speech on the Internet. It is too broad. How do you legislate the internet?
Do you have any success stories?
We caught a young lady saying she was going to kill herself when she got home from school because she sent that message in a hotmail to a friend. The content of her message triggered an alert within our program and we were able to contact her parents before she got home. The program is designed to safeguard against potential life threatening situations.
I set up my own daughter’s computer to shut down anytime she or her friends were using unacceptable language in her emails or instant messages. At first she complained, but after a while they all improved their vocabulary.
Can the software be deleted or fail?
It could be disabled but we have made it almost impossible. We notify the school or parent if we find students tampering with the program. It is possible that some things will slip through. It is not a cure all. We recommend families strive for improved communication.
For more information about these computer safety products visit www.securitysoft.com
10 INTERNET SAFETY TIPS
- Don’t open e-mail or instant-message attachments unless you are sure they do not contain viruses.
- Don’t click on un-known links.
- Use a fake name in chat rooms.
- Never agree to meet a fellow chatter in real life.
- Don’t click on Internet pop-up ads -they might install spyware on your computer.
- Don’t use passwords that people can guess (like your pet’s name or your favorite sports team).
- Never give out personal information to people you meet on the internet about yourself, family or friends (such as last name, address, phone numbers, your school, photos of yourself or family, PIN numbers for your bank, social-security numbers, etc.)
- Don’t believe everything you read or see on the Internet because some of the information is fake.
- Don’t download pirated songs or movies and don’t install pirated software or video games you haven’t paid for, because it may contain viruses and be illegal.
- Children should immediately tell a parent or teacher if he/she is threatened by a cyber-bully.
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