Optenet Urges Use of Safe Online Habits on 'Safer Internet Day'

USA - English

• USA - English

LONDON, February 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Optenet, a pioneer and global leader of enabling SaaS offerings and delivering "on-premise" security solutions (PIV377605), today announced that the company will provide a one-year license, free-of-charge, for its Optenet WebFilter PC product, to all online consumers who visit http://www.optenet.com/en-gb/ on Safer Internet Day (SID), 9th February 2010.

SID is an annual international event organised by Insafe, the European Safer Internet awareness-raising network. Each year, in February, the event is coordinated to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people. In 2009, Safer Internet Day was celebrated through 500 events in 50 countries all over the world.

This year, the focus of SID is the "responsible management of images by children online" with the accompanying theme of "Think B4 U Post!" referring to the act of 'posting' or downloading personal images to the internet.

Committed to creating a safer web experience for minors for over ten years, Optenet is a member of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and is a partner to Protegeles, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to running a hotline against illegal content, especially child pornography, on the internet.

Ana Luisa Rotta, Special Projects Director, Optenet and a member of the board of directors at FOSI and Protegeles, said, "Young people today have greater access to online content via a variety of mobile devices with which they communicate with their friends. One of the most current trends to be aware of is 'Sexting', the sending of sexually explicit messages via mobile devices or over instant messenger. Digital pictures can be cut, altered and displayed in a completely different context, leading to embarrassment, or even bullying. Even worse, these images could be intercepted by a predator."

Janice Richardson, Project Manager, InSafe said, "The ability to freely share texts, photos, videos, emails and web links so easily, unfortunately also translates into more opportunities for children to engage in unsafe online activities. Children and teenagers must be encouraged to control their online identity by using the privacy settings offered by social networking services. They should only share images of themselves with friends online that they can trust and they should always seek their friends' permission before posting pictures of them. Young people must be made aware of the potential consequences of posting images online and understand that their information can be accessed by anyone, from teachers to future employers and, more importantly, predators."

Rotta agrees, "There is an international need to address the security problems caused by the evolving web 2.0 culture, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to monitor their children's online usage and behaviour. One technology implemented within Optenet's WebFilter PC is to allow parents to filter web access by categories, one of which is social networking. This choice will enable the filtering of emerging threats aimed at children, and the protection of personal data whilst browsing the web."

Optenet offers a number of child protection solutions (http://www.optenet.com/en-us/childsolutions.asp) for both personal and corporate application. Optenet provides home and mobile protection with its products ChildSecure ISP, ChildSecure Mobile and WebFilter PC.

Optenet's WebFilter PC helps parents monitor their children's web browsing activity at home and avoid cases of online harassment. To receive a free one-year license of Optenet's WebFilter PC visit http://www.optenet.com/en-gb/ on Tuesday 9th February only, and click on the 'Safer Internet Day' promotional banner.

About Optenet

Optenet is a global IT security company providing high-performance security to service providers and large enterprises worldwide. With the largest ISP customer base and 12 years of experience, Optenet is a pioneer and global leader of enabling SaaS offerings and delivering "on-premise" security solution. Its technology protects more than 100 million end users worldwide and is deployed globally at over 100 ISPs. Dedicated to protecting children by eliminating illegal content on the Internet, Optenet works with government and non-profit organizations to create a secure online environment for minors. For more information, visit http://www.optenet.com.

SOURCE Optenet