Estimated Ten Percent Of Harmful Multimedia Content Remains Undetected On School Computers

July 14, 2009 - PRLog -- Brand new research reveals that approximately ten percent of harmful multimedia content on school computers remains undetected by systems relying on keyword or phrase-based monitoring to protect children. Conducted by forensic experts and ex-police at E-Safe Education (www.esafeeducation.co.uk), this research underpins a need for more effective e-safety guidance and advice for young people. The UK’s first company to offer real-time forensic monitoring as a “managed service” is urging schools and parents to engage with students and help them understand this important issue.

Based upon data from over 30,000 students, content identified by E-Safe Education’s pornography and extreme image management, includes pornographic or highly inappropriate imagery originating from cameras and mobile phones, video media such as CDs or DVDs and images downloaded from unmonitored devices. Combined with proactive behavioural monitoring and USB management, E-Safe Education is helping to protect students against many other serious issues, from predator grooming, cyberbullying, racism and radicalisation to drugs, gambling and even suicide.

E-Safe Education’s advanced threat detection libraries, are updated monthly by forensic experts working on recently completed child protection cases, providing reassurance that new words, phrases or techniques are identified quickly and incorporated into the protection systems.

Much more than a monitoring tool, the e-safe education system not only helps schools enforce their Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), but also encourages behavioural change by educating students and teachers about responsible use of ICT the moment they breach policy. The system engages students in e-safety by providing pop-up messages tailored by their teacher to explain why their action is inappropriate and then directs them to information which explains this further.

E-Safe Education aims to relieve schools of the burden and potential liabilities associated with forensically monitoring ICT usage, whilst helping them to meet the new safeguarding requirements set out by Ofsted by September 2009. Most importantly, pastoral staff are freed up to focus on intervention and support. The system can be used to monitor both local PC-based activity and network usage across Internet Service Providers, Regional Broadband Grids, Local Authorities, schools and public libraries, and to protect children from inappropriate content at home.

Trained in the latest detection techniques by The Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP), experts at E-Safe Education work around the clock to identify the level of risk each incident or transgression by a student or teacher represents, advising schools accordingly within 24-hours of discovery. By providing this service off-site, e-safe education protects education staff who are responsible for intervention, from exposure to the highly graphic, explicit material and potentially damaging material often identified.

By implementing E-Safe Education's managed services, schools can provide access to a plethora of online and localised content, safe in the knowledge that usage by students is professionally monitored. Many schools that have implemented these services are allowing students to use popular social networking sites such as Facebook and My Space to collaborate with peers and develop their online behaviour. The software also helps schools to analyse and increase student productivity by providing a snapshot of when and where students are accessing non-work-related applications or materials.

Ex-police officer of 13 years, Andrea Bradley, Managing Director at Zentek Forensics and a Director of E-Safe Education, comments: “As we continue to identify cases of predator grooming and cyber-bullying of children, it is imperative that they are properly safeguarded whenever and wherever they use a computer. Whilst first generation forensic monitoring technology may detect chat and text-based communication, cameras are now increasingly used by students alongside multimedia tools such as Skype and Google video chat to collaborate. The ability to detect and block websites is simply not sufficient in today's Web 2.0 world where empowerment, engagement and advice need to be the norm if children are going to learn.”

For further information about E-Safe Education, please visit the web site at www.esafeeducation.co.uk or contact Colin McKeown on tel: +44(0) 8444 128 623 or e-mail colin.mckeown@zentek.co.uk.