The number of children and adolescents falling victim to the damaging content viewable on websites and chat programs is increasing at an alarming rate. However, an Australian company, Race River has developed a product that will give parents some peace of mind when their children are using the internet.
Integard is internet filtering software which can monitor and block suspicious chat conversations and potentially harmful websites. The program aims to reduce the number of children and adolescents who fall victim to online predators, cyber bullying, suicide pacts and online stalking.
Integard is by far the most configurable and powerful filter on the market giving parents the option to make the filter even stricter than it already is using customisable keyword lists, allowed site lists, blocked site lists and filter sensitivity settings. Whilst on the other hand the Integard security can be loosened up and the software utilised as more of a monitoring service. It also caters for multiple users allowing different filter levels for different members of the family.
The software was initially released in Australia and take-up has been extremely good. Integard is planned to be released with support for French in June with Spanish, Italian and German to follow.
Daniel Millerson, spokesperson for Race River said that “The dangers of the internet is a world-wide problem and needs to be dealt with on a global scale.”
“Cyber bullying and online predators are not limited to English but exist in all languages.” Mr Millerson said.
“With the number of illegal sites and predators on the rise, so is the number of victims, which is why it is very important for parents to monitor and be aware of what their children are doing on the internet and who is chatting with them”.
The dangers on the Internet is a serious issue and one which countries need to collaborate ideas and schemes to ensure children and families are protected and cyber-safe.
