The IWF was established in 1996 by the UK internet industry and works in partnership with the wider online industry, law enforcement, government, the education sector, charities, international partners and the public to minimise the availability of content within its remit. As a result of this self-regulatory approach, less than 1% of online child sexual abuse content has been hosted in the UK since 2003, down from 18% in 1997.

Through the internet Hotline reporting system, the IWF helps the online industry combat abuse of its services through a ‘notice and takedown’ initiative by alerting them to potentially criminal content within IWF’s remit on their systems and enabling the police to investigate those responsible. This self-regulatory partnership approach is widely recognised as a model of good practice in combating the abuse of technology for the dissemination of criminal online content.

For more information or to report a website visit www.iwf.org.uk.

To continue reading the full story on Internet Watch Foundation website click here.

As we wait for the David Cameron's consultation on whether ISPs should have to implement opt-out blocks on pornography, it's worth taking the time to think more broadly about whether the network level is the right place to catch the wrong sort of content.

Whilst the most recent news was driven by the report from MP Claire Perry's independent parliamentary inquiry into online child protection, it is not just adult content that ISPs are being asked to block...

Click here to continue reading on SCMagazineuk.com >

The High Court has now approved the text of the message that will be sent.

Ben Dover has said its focus is on users who had uploaded films to others.

The commercial director of the firm - which is registered at Companies House as Golden Eye International - said that parties who "simply downloaded one film" would not be pursued.

"In our first letter we seek to find out more information regarding evidence of an infringement of our copyright," said Julian Becker.

"Depending on the response to our letters we will then decide our next action."

It is understood that recipients will be told what to do to negotiate a settlement, and will be warned that if they do not respond they could be found liable.

They will be given 28 days to reply after the judge said that a 14 day limit requested by Ben Dover was "unreasonable".

The firm was also told it could not specify compensation of £700 but should individually negotiate a settlement sum with each defendant.

The judge added that a threat to tell users it would ask the ISP to "slow down or terminate your internet connection" if they did not comply was unjustified.

A statement from O2 said: "We are pleased that the court has taken a robust approach and controlled the tone and content of the letter Golden Eye proposes to send to our customers. We are also pleased that the judge acknowledged the unique position we are in, and agreed that we have approached this issue in a reasonable way."

You can read the full article here

MP’s have called for tighter filters to prevent children seeing unsuitable content online following a cross-party parliamentary inquiry into the issue which has concluded that the government and internet service providers (ISPs) need to do more. The inquiry found that children were easily accessing pornography and websites showing extreme violence.

• The Government should initiate a formal review of an Opt-In filter to access adult material on the internet;
• The Government should press for accelerated implementation plans for "Active Choice"; the content filtering system proposed for new internet customers by the largest ISPs;
• Within 12 months, ISPs should roll out "single account" network filters that provide one-click filtering for all devices connected to the same internet account;
• A single regulator should take lead responsibility on internet safety;
• Public Wi-Fi networks should have a default adult-content bar;
• Government and industry should draw up new guidelines to publicise existing safety settings on computers and internet-enabled devices;
• ISPs should provide more support and signposting for internet safety education.

(Many thanks to John S, Gary, John N & Tony)

Many people presume the growth of BYOD is down to budget cuts in the current economic climate, because it saves money if people use their own equipment, but this isn’t necessarily the case because BYOD requires additional infrastructure and a new set of policies and procedures which means it isn’t always the cheapest option.

If it was about saving money the wave would be travelling much slower.  Most PCs can last a long time before being replaced, and eking a few more years out of existing kit with another stick of RAM can save money and minimise the need for major changes in many organisations.

Instead the driver behind BYOD is the users and their familiarity with their tablets, smart phones, netbooks, and the ubiquity of these increasingly cheap and portable devices.

However the main problem with BYOD is that mobile devices offer many of the same old fashioned threat vectors that we’ve been fighting for years.  The speed that new malware is being released now exceeds the rate that legitimate software is produced meaning there are millions of devices out there containing spyware, adware, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, rootkits and other malicious software.

Obviously the owners of these devices have no idea this software is there and even if they have up to date antivirus and anti-malware software, it won’t protect against the very latest threats that came out that morning – sometimes called ‘zero-day threats’.

As a result the mindset amongst many network managers and organisations is that there will always be a level of malware until someone comes up with a better vehicle for internet crime.

Whilst it may be very difficult for network managers to keep infected devices off their network they can make sure that malware can’t do any damage or infect other devices.

This means having an adequate protection system in place that will effectively ring-fence infected devices.  In addition appropriate policies must be introduced to control how the system works because at the moment there is no standard philosophy amongst most network managers to contain the growing problem.

Many operate on a piecemeal basis where each issue is addressed as it arises.  Often this even comes down to whether or not someone asking whether they can connect their own device in the first place hears ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

In many cases the successful deployment of BYOD has as much to do with the management of it as the technology.  From the outset it’s important to involve the management of an organisation from an early stage and also look at it from legal and financial perspectives whilst also considering the risks to the business.

Only then can an informed decision be made about whether an organisation is ready to embrace BYOD and an environment where a networks’ users have the freedom to use the tools and devices that are best suited to them and their needs.

Gavin Logan, Director of Public Sector Services at Leeds based Smoothwall, says: “We are serious about the education sector and have developed a product specifically for this market, which is why we have become the provider of choice, seeing off competition from 15 other UK and multi-national companies to win these new contracts.

“Our Guardian Web Filtering system isn’t just an off the shelf product built for the corporate environment that has been bent to fit the education sector, it utilises the best filtering technology in the world to provide real-time monitoring and filtering that examines the content, context and construction of every webpage rather than just blocking website’s URL addresses.”

Smoothwall’s Guardian technology, which has been designed in-house by some of the world’s leading IT developers, exceeds all standards dictated by the Department of Education’s benchmark accreditation as well as complying with the stringent US Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA.)

“The fact that our product surpasses all levels of security and safety outlined by the Government yet is still extremely easy to install and manage has made it the product of choice amongst the education sector's network and IT managers,” explains Gavin. “As the Government continues with its de-centralisation strategy the LEA’s and individual schools are able to regain control of their buying power and are therefore selecting their own providers of firewall and web filtering protection, which is why we have been so successful in our tenders.”

The company provides its services directly to over 1,200 schools and to 1,400 schools via LEA’s in the region.  It also works with the Yorkshire & Humber Grid for Learning (YHGFL) which is a broadband consortium that buys in internet protection for 550 schools. As a result of the recent contract wins, Smoothwall now supplies a significant percentage of all primary and over one third of all secondary schools in the UK with firewall and filtering protection.

North Yorkshire County Council’s Richard King says: “When it comes to the e-safety of pupils it is paramount that they can be protected at all times from an ever evolving range of online threats.  It’s also essential that teachers can continue to use web-based learning tools without being disrupted on a daily basis, which is why Smoothwall’s technology is proving so popular.”

Gavin concludes: “Our Guardian Web Filtering system scans the content of web pages in real-time rather than having to rely on teachers and IT network managers to block individual sites which means undesirable material and online games are detected and blocked automatically. Because we develop and update the technology in-house this also means that we can react immediately to online threats allowing schools to always be one step ahead of the online development cycle.”

As part of Smoothwall’s commitment to e-safety in schools, the firm is currently working with leading Oxford University academic researcher Dr. Brian Brady to ensure that delivering the highest levels of e-safety is a priority in schools.  This collaboration has produced a series of White Papers which illustrate how the law operates and impacts on teachers, heads and governors within this challenging new environment.

International Channel Manager Jamie Moore says: “Our partners choose Smoothwall because our Secure Web Gateway system utilises our own filtering technology which is considered to be amongst the best in the world.  It provides real-time control and monitoring of each and every webpage a user requests - plus all the tools needed to secure, manage and report on their activity.  However, the real competitive advantage for most of the companies that partner with us is the level of technical and business support we provide.

“We invest our time and expertise in our partners who are ISPs, system integrators, IT service companies and Value Added Resellers (VARs) to ensure that they have complete knowledge and understanding of this complex market – this helps them to deliver the right solution to their customers’ problems.  We believe that we provide tangible value to everybody in the chain – the customer gets exactly what they need, their end-users get properly secured internet and web access and our partners get healthy margins and to build long term relationships with their clients.”

Smoothwall recently helped one specialist reseller partner secure a £100,000+ contract with the NHS in Newcastle. Jamie explains: “We provide our partners with personal account and support managers and actually go into their businesses and help to generate and close sales leads. Our staff are obviously well versed in the benefits of Smoothwall’s technology, so it makes sense for them to stand shoulder to shoulder with our channel partners providing invaluable product and market insight and hands on advice.”

Smoothwall’s Chief Executive Officer George Lungley added: “Our partner sales account for over 40% of the company’s revenue – and they continue to grow strongly across all the territories we operate in.  We are delighted that we continue to outperform our much larger competitors in both the UK and USA – we believe that we do this by delivering solid sevice, great support and producing innovative high quality products.  The tough economic conditions have been good for our business, making us work harder to deliver more value for less.  And more importantly, giving our customers the impetus to look carefully at their existing high cost and under performing security technologies.

He concluded.  “We believe that great British software engineering and Yorkshire grit make a powerful combination – we’re planning further expansion within our business before the end of this year and will take full advantage of the fragile global economic climate.”

He says: “Our Guardian Web Security system is extremely well known and respected internationally where we hold a number of prestigious contracts with the US Government, the American financial markets and a wide range of UK public sector organisations, which I believe is testament to the unrivalled levels of flexibility and web security our products offer.

“My job is to translate those successes into the corporate sector where we are already winning new contracts from businesses that are looking to improve on expensive imported security technologies that are both costly and underperforming. The legal and financial implications of employee’s internet usage is a major concern for UK business and our products enable companies to regulate online activity and offer e-safety in the workplace at a competitive price.”

Smoothwall will be initially targeting the retail, financial services and telecoms markets with its Guardian Web Security system.

Ricky explains: “Our Guardian Web Filtering system utilises what we believe to be the best filtering technology in the world to provide real-time monitoring that examines the content, context and construction of every webpage rather than just blocking website’s URL addresses, businesses can monitor, manage and control all employee internet usage extremely effectively.”

Smoothwall’s Guardian technology has been designed and engineered in the UK by some of the world’s leading software developers.  It exceeds the e-safety requirements outlined by the Government’s  DfE whilst also being extremely easy to install and manage.  “Our unrivalled levels of filtering and security ensure that businesses have total control over who, what, when and where the web is accessed – even by laptop users who are working out of the office network.” concludes Ricky.

Smoothwall’s expansion comes after the Yorkshire based company was approached by a number of NHS Trusts and emergency services following the Government’s decision to decentralise public services and impose spending cuts.

Mike explains: “The tender process combined with a big emphasis on cost reduction can make selling to some public sector organisations a difficult job - Smoothwall’s Guardian technology holds genuine appeal in this market because it increases security, improves productivity, is simple to manage and is very cost-effective.  As a result Smoothwall is already winning business including recent contracts with Newcastle, Shewsbury and Telford, Cheshire and Wirral NHS Trusts.

“It is an ideal time for public sector organisations to invest in improving productivity whilst saving money.  Controlling and managing web access delivers immediate benefit by ensuring that online time and resource wasting activities can be actively monitored or stopped completely.”

Smoothwall’s Guardian Web Security system is designed, engineered and supported in the UK and uses the best filtering technology in the world to monitor the content, context and construction of every webpage in real-time rather than just blocking URL addresses.  It is also used by branches of the US Government, in American financial markets and in thousands of schools throughout the UK.

Smoothwall is now providing network security and web content filtering services to American football team The Detroit Lions, which plays in the National Football League (NFL).

In addition Glasgow based IT services company E4E is now using Smoothwall’s Guardian Web Security system to protect employees in the UK, the US and India.

Dutch company Kliksafe, which supplies internet and telephone services, has also chosen Smoothwall’s technology to provide family friendly filtered internet access to thousands of it’s customers.

Ricky Dransfield, Smoothwall’s Corporate Sales Manager, said: “Smoothwall has a strong track record in the public sector and we’re now mirroring this in the private sector where we are quickly increasing our market share and developing a varied client list with companies that want to offer complete e-safety and regulate online activity.

“Our products are specifically designed to be simple to use whilst still offering the highest standard of security which means they can benefit all types of organisations and businesses and the diversity of these three contracts is testament to this.”

The school sent out letters informing parents about the suspension. Students also received 15 demerits and have been banned from using school computers for the next nine weeks.

Although school officials declined to comment to reporters, at least one parent was quoted in CBS affiliate reporting as blaming school personnel rather than her child for the infraction of the district's acceptable use policy. "Kids should not have been punished for this; they should have punished the person in charge of security; they should have been doing their job," she said.

As reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, one student, a senior and a member of the National Honor Society who was part of the reprimand, said, "I thought it was just a way to get my schoolwork done. I didn't know the severity or the consequences of using this."

According to district policy 815 regulating acceptable use of the Internet, disabling or bypassing the Internet blocking or filtering software without authorization is prohibited. Failure to comply shall result, the document states, "in usage restrictions, loss of access privileges, disciplinary action, and/or legal proceedings."

You can read Dian's article in full at The Journal

Note:  Smoothwall's Guardian Web Security dynamically prevents proxy circumvention by students and employees.

Young couples have long signaled their devotion to each other by various means — the gift of a letterman jacket, or an exchange of class rings or ID bracelets. Best friends share locker combinations.

The digital era has given rise to a more intimate custom. It has become fashionable for young people to express their affection for each other by sharing their passwords to e-mail,Facebook and other accounts. Boyfriends and girlfriends sometimes even create identical passwords, and let each other read their private e-mails and texts.

They say they know such digital entanglements are risky, because a souring relationship can lead to people using online secrets against each other. But that, they say, is part of what makes the symbolism of the shared password so powerful.

“It’s a sign of trust,” Tiffany Carandang, a high school senior in San Francisco, said of the decision she and her boyfriend made several months ago to share passwords for e-mail and Facebook. “I have nothing to hide from him, and he has nothing to hide from me.”

“That is so cute,” said Cherry Ng, 16, listening in to her friend’s comments to a reporter outside school. “They really trust each other.”

We do, said Ms. Carandang, 17. “I know he’d never do anything to hurt my reputation,” she added.

It doesn’t always end so well, of course. Changing a password is simple, but students, counselors and parents say that damage is often done before a password is changed, or that the sharing of online lives can be the reason a relationship falters.

The stories of fallout include a spurned boyfriend in junior high who tries to humiliate his ex-girlfriend by spreading her e-mail secrets; tensions between significant others over scouring each other’s private messages for clues of disloyalty or infidelity; or grabbing a cellphone from a former best friend, unlocking it with a password and sending threatening texts to someone else.

Rosalind Wiseman, who studies how teenagers use technology and is author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” a book for parents about helping girls survive adolescence, said the sharing of passwords, and the pressure to do so, was somewhat similar to sex.

Sharing passwords, she noted, feels forbidden because it is generally discouraged by adults and involves vulnerability. And there is pressure in many teenage relationships to share passwords, just as there is to have sex.

“The response is the same: if we’re in a relationship, you have to give me anything,” Ms. Wiseman said.

In a 2011 telephone survey, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 30 percent of teenagers who were regularly online had shared a password with a friend, boyfriend or girlfriend. The survey, of 770 teenagers aged 12 to 17, found that girls were almost twice as likely as boys to share. And in more than two dozen interviews, parents, students and counselors said that the practice had become widespread.

You can read the full piece here at the NYTimes, and you can find advice on keeping your passwords secure in our myPassword section.

YORKSHIRE based web filtering and security specialist Smoothwall has secured a contract with a global aerospace, defence and information solutions organisation that will see its products used by the US Military operating in the Middle East. 


The three phased deal with ITT Exelis totalling almost £750K will include the installation of Smoothwall’s Unified Threat Management and Web Filtering systems and the company will also provide ongoing technical support over a three year period. 


The deal with ITT Exelis, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has a $5.9billion revenue, marks a successful period for Smoothwall’s Corporate Division which has strengthened its position in the corporate IT security arena with recent contract wins including Air Charter, Schnieder Trading and Symphony Group.


Corporate Sales Manager Ricky Dransfield, who is based at the firm’s Leeds headquarters, says: “To have secured this contract with such a worldwide market leader that is renowned for both innovation and technology is a real coup for the company and reiterates the safety and reliability of our product and service offering.” 


Smoothwall’s technology helps organisations to manage, control and report on web use across their networks - including individual’s social media activity. The unique dynamic web filtering software examines the content, context and construction of every webpage in real-time rather than just blocking website’s URL addresses.


Ricky says: “In addition to our success in the UK and American Corporate markets we also have contracts with the US Government, American financial markets and a wide range of UK public sector organisations, which I believe is testament to the unrivalled levels of flexibility and web security our products offer.”

This new whitepaper addresses each area of applicable law individually and provides an outline on which Governors, senior management and teaching staff can start to understand this complex area of law.

You can access the white paper here:  

Internet & E-Mail Abuse - The Legal Minefield for Academies whitepaper

There are literally millions of us who can’t help ourselves updating and posting when we should be doing something else at work or school.  Help is at hand for those responsible for keeping us on the productive straight and narrow - with a couple of clicks they can help us break our addiction - at least when we’re supposed to be doing something else.

The office and classroom ‘No Facebook Here’ notices can be finally torn up and consigned to the recycling bin.  The outright ban on school and organisation networks of our much loved (in most corners anyway) online playground can at last be repealed.

The clever bods at Smoothwall have engineered a way to make Facebook ‘read only’ - you can look but you can’t click - so you can keep an eye on your wall but not post anything.  Except obviously, when your boss says it’s OK - at lunchtimes, before and after your work hours, in the rec room etc.  It’s sort of a techie way of creating detente - the higher-ups get you to do what you need to be doing - and you don’t feel as cheesed off as you did when they banned it outright.

What’ll they think of next?