Internet Watch Foundation

 

 

 

 

BT Wholesale today announced the launch of its Netintelligence internet security software, which allows internet service providers (ISPs) to meet the online security needs of children and small businesses.

 

BT Wholesale also announced its first commercial contract for Netintelligence with the UK ‘family’ ISP, V21. V21 is one of the first ISPs in the UK to complement its broadband service with Netintelligence, to deliver a highly secure broadband package to parents who are concerned about the safety of their children while surfing the internet.

 

The Netintelligence security software has been specifically designed to meet the security requirements of today’s broadband connected homes and small businesses.  Designed for non-technical users, the product provides parents and small businesses with full control to monitor and restrict access to certain websites. This protects children from inappropriate content available online, and helps small businesses to comply with EU legislation governing the use of the internet in the workplace.

Netintelligence also allows parents to monitor and record children’s online activities, such as instant messaging, in real time to reduce the risk of exposure to strangers in internet chat rooms and the dangers of ‘grooming’.

 

These features, coupled with its easy to use, ‘plug and play’ nature, make Netintelligence an ideal internet security solution for ISPs serving the consumer, SME and SOHO markets. By addressing parents’ growing concerns around the safety of children when browsing the internet, ISPs can demonstrate their commitment to championing online child safety through the delivery of a value added service. ISPs can also offer enhanced security features to small businesses that lack security expertise, to help them adopt and enforce an appropriate policy regarding employee use of the internet.

 

ISPs can brand the Netintelligence software as their own and can provide it to home and business customers as part of a broadband package, a stand alone internet security offering, or on a ‘try before you buy’ basis.     

 

Chris Hutchings, director ventures, BT Wholesale said, “Through initiatives such as the worldwide ‘make-IT-safe’ campaign and the multi agency Internet Task Force for Child Protection on the Internet, both government and the industry are taking positive steps to reduce the threats posed to children by the internet. By selecting Netintelligence to complement its broadband offering, V21 is acting as a responsible broadband provider to both consumers and small businesses – we urge the rest of the industry to follow.”

Steve Kaye V21 said, “V21 is recognised as a broadband provider specifically for the family and a security solution which offers parents full control over the web content their children can access is central to our proposition. While the internet remains an invaluable educational resource for children, it also poses considerable risks to their safety. With the addition of the Netintelligence service to our overall broadband package, V21 is taking positive steps to ensure that children can enjoy web surfing, email, instant messaging and file downloads without a risk to their safety.”

 

The software provides real time, automatic updates of web site threats – and anti-virus updates – removing the need for parents and business users to perform these updates themselves. Netintelligence also contains data and information which prevents access to websites portraying abusive images of children supplied by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the only official UK body that operates an Internet ‘hotline’ where illegal Internet content can be reported online. The IWF data is fed into the Netintelligence central databases, which contain over 30 million inappropriate web sites, files and images, allowing parents to block access to inappropriate content.

 

Peter Robbins, CEO of the IWF said, “As an IWF member, we are pleased to be able to offer Netintelligence the use of our child abuse images URL database for inclusion in their new filtering product. All internet users, especially children, are entitled to an abuse-free online environment and it is important that internet services are available to make it as easy as possible for consumers to control their online experience.” 

 

Netintelligence is available to all UK internet service providers from BT Wholesale. For further information about Netintelligence contact Joanna Bunbury.

 

Inquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369.

 

BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions serving customers in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.  Its principal activities include networked IT services, local, national and international telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and internet products and services.

 

BT consists principally of three lines of business:

 

•           BT Retail, providing a comprehensive range of communications and related services to more than 20m UK consumers and businesses.

 

•           BT Wholesale, providing network services and solutions within the UK to more than 600 fixed and mobile operators and service providers including the provision of broadband and private circuits.

 

•           BT Global Services, providing networked IT services to meet the needs of multi-site organisations globally.  BT Global Services operates in more than 130 countries and also offers international carrier services.

 

In the year ended 31 March 2005, BT Group’s turnover was £18,623 million with profit before goodwill amortisation, exceptional items and taxation of £2,085 million.

 

BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.

 

For more information, visit http://www.btplc.com/