Internet Watch Foundation

 

Blue Coat® Systems, a content and application delivery company, today announced that its ProxySG™ appliance family now can block web sites contained in the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) list of child abuse sites - often referred to as child pornography. Blue Coat has joined the IWF as a funding member.

 

By utilising the IWF database, Blue Coat can prevent users and networks from exposure to child pornography and the legal consequences of storing such material.  The IWF list is available immediately to ProxySG users worldwide.

 

"Blue Coat is committed to making the Internet good for business and a safe place for users,” said Steve Mullaney, Vice President of Marketing, Blue Coat Systems.  “We are pleased to support the IWF’s work and enable our customers to block according to the IWF list of child abuse Web sites.”

 

The IWF list contains web sites that have been assessed by the organisation and confirmed to contain indecent images of children that would be illegal to view, transmit or store in many countries. 

 

Through its hotline reporting system involving more than 20 countries, the IWF helps ISPs combat abuse of their services by operating a 'notice and take-down' service which alerts ISPs to child abuse content found on their system. Content hosted in any of the countries included in the hotline reporting system is added to the IWF list so that users in participating countries are unable to access this material.

 

The IWF is an independent charity that works in partnership with the UK government and ISPs to develop policies, projects and initiatives as well as practical mechanisms and procedures designed to prevent the availability of illegal online content.

 

Peter Robbins, IWF's Chief Executive comments: "The IWF is jointly funded by the EU, companies with a stake in the internet and mobile industry and the financial sector whose financial support helps to ensure the work of the IWF can continue and develop. We are delighted to welcome Blue Coat as a new funding member and look forward to working  closely with them in the future."

 

Blue Coat helps organisations make the Web safe and productive for business.

Blue Coat proxy appliances provide visibility and control of Web communications to protect against risks from spyware, Web viruses, inappropriate Web surfing, instant messaging (IM), video streaming, and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing - while actually improving Web performance.

Trusted by many of the world’s largest organizations, Blue Coat has shipped more than 25,000 proxy appliances. In the UK Blue Coat is headquartered in Camberley, Surrey. Please see www.bluecoat.com.

 

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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Blue Coat Systems’ expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, and including statements regarding the capabilities and expected performance of Blue Coat Systems’ products. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Blue Coat Systems as of the date hereof, and Blue Coat Systems assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.

These and other risks relating to Blue Coat Systems’ business are set forth in Blue Coat Systems’ most recently filed Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2005 and Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2005, and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Note: All trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

 

Barry Mansfield

Account Executive

éclat MARKETING

barry@eclat.co.uk

 

Tel:    0118 989 5600

Mob:   0781 319 4051

Fax:    0118 989 5656