Phone Software Allows Parents Access to Kid's Mobile Phones

A new piece of mobile phone software, which can give parents control over what photographs and videos their children can download to their handsets, is being launched by a Glasgow-based web security firm.

Netintelligence, which last year won a UK industry award for its 'Safekeeper' software, has created Netintelligence Mobile - a handset-based programme allowing parents to set detailed parameters on their children's phone use.

Mobile phone file sharing hit the headlines last week after Hawick High School head teacher Alan Williamson was the victim of a happy slap assault; the previous week a young footballer appeared in court after filming and distributing mobile phone footage of a 14-year-old having sex at a party.

Phil Worms, director of products and marketing at Netintelligence, said: "We're at a stage now where mobile phones are edging ever closer to mobile PCs - the capacity to record information of various media then disseminate it becomes greater with every new handset on the market. We need to exert the same levels of protection and control over mobile phones as we do over computers.

"It's just a fact that as mobile phone technology becomes more sophisticated people will abuse it, which is why it's so important - as these recent cases have shown - that parents are able to protect their kids from threats which are now present via mobile phones."

Website addresses can be blocked and filtered - i.e. parents can see what sites children are accessing from their phones - and GPRS access can also be blocked and logged by parents.

The software would also benefit from the Netintelligence database of more than 30 million internet files flagged as inappropriate, immediately blocking access to these files.

Among the other features of Netintelligence Mobile are call restriction and logging, premium rate blocking, SIM card lock, instant messenger filtering, and anti-virus.

Phil added: "As well as protecting kids from some of the more harmful aspects associated with owning a mobile, Netintelligence Mobile also provides parents with a practical solution for ensuring that their children's phone top ups are used on legitimate calls rather than being wasted on expensive premium rate numbers."

The product is currently completing final testing but it is expected that it will be commercially available in spring 2007."

Posted to the site on 15th February 2007