Anvil Mobile launches new Simply Safe SIM for real-time monitoring of text messages for children and vulnerable adults
25 January 2011: With bullies and sexual predators increasingly moving from the Internet to mobile phones, the new Simply Safe SIM from Anvil Mobile automatically scans every text message sent and received to identify potential risks to children or vulnerable adults. With some 90% of under 16 year olds now owning a mobile phone and 1 in 7 children aged between 11 to 19 claiming to have been bullied by text, the new Anvil solution sends an alert by SMS or email to a parent, guardian or carer if abusive language and possible bullying or predatory behaviour is detected.
Unlike PCs or laptops that are often shared and in open spaces, mobile phones are very personal devices that can be always on and not easy to monitor physically – making them an ideal target for bullies and predators. Simply Safe now offers protection without intrusion or a breakdown of trust. Only text messages that are considered potentially dangerous can be viewed by the parent or guardian when they are alerted to log-in to the secure TxtSafer message site. Future text messages can be blocked from suspect individuals and also stored for possible investigations by the police or schools.
Simply Safe is the first SIM-based solution and works on most 3G unlocked phones without the need to install any software. It uses the leading-edge profiling technology from Crisp Thinking that is already trusted by popular online games sites and communities. Rated as the most reliable technology of its kind by the University of Cambridge with a 98.4% accuracy in the detection of online grooming, this is the first time Crisp’s TxtSafer advanced software has been used on mobiles.
More than one SIM can be monitored through the same controls and Anvil can also provide additional protection with mobile phone call recording to capture any abusive or threatening voice calls. In addition, it is possible to assign a local geographic number to the mobile SIM. By presenting what looks like a home number, potential abusers and predators will be deterred under the belief that the call is more likely to be intercepted.
“Parents are under increasing pressure to provide children as young as five with mobile phones at the same time as there is increasing concern about mobile bullying and grooming,” said Ian Philip, CEO at Anvil Mobile. “Simply Safe provides parents with the safety and reassurance they need while giving their children the freedom to use their phones.”
“But it’s not just children that are at risk; disabled people along with ethnic, religious and sexual minorities and even certain professions such as social workers and teachers can also be vulnerable,” adds Philip. “Whatever the reason, there is a need for a simple system that protects mobile users and provides the evidence for action to be taken if required.”
