Government picture on cyber bullying is wrong, warns security expert
Government picture on cyber bullying is wrong, warns security expert
The government’s latest eye catching PR campaign around cyber bullying may be missing the point, warns an expert. Out of touch ministers may have the wrong idea of what cyber bullying entails, and how to tackle it effectively, argues Lorcan Burke, CEO of mobile security provider AdaptiveMobile.
Though he welcomes any attempt to stamp out bullying, he warns that confiscating mobile phones may be counter productive. It puts children’s safety at risk, he asks, and transfers responsibility to parents and staff, when policing mobile phone bullying is near impossible.
The best defence against bullying is to install a mobile security guard, says Burke. “It’s clearly an issue and we welcome the steps to counter abuse. [But] responsibilities don’t lie with teachers or parents. It’s the operators that should act.”
Confiscating a child’s mobile will hit the mobile operators anyway. They’ll lose revenue on an age group that texts, calls and surfs the mobile internet. So operators should be installing monitors on traffic, that protect kids from spiteful attacks. Many parents would pay a premium if they knew little Johnny was protected from Beefy Bert, who had been blacklisted, argued Burke.
“I think what he’s trying to say is that mobile operators should buy security from him,” said Ken Young, mobile phone analyst and editor of TheUKMobileReport.
More information is available at www.adaptivemobile.com
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