Thanks much to Digital Security Mom for the recent article: Safe Browsing With Mobicip. Here is an excerpt.

One of the things most liked by parents is the Web filtering capability especially when it comes to YouTube. Mobicip bases each search upon an age range in the default version and by category in the yearly subscription version.

For parents of older children, they can set up the browser in “accountability mode” which will send the parent daily reports of activity and not filter the content.

Click here to read the full article.

We are on a roll here at Mobicip. This press release went out today, officially launching support for users in Australia and Asia-Pacific.

A Safer Internet For Kids Down Under (via PR Newswire)

 

A concerned parent recently brought up an issue around Mobicip's privacy policy to our attention. Publishing this email thread in its entirely on our blog is one of the steps we are taking to address his concern. You can see our response and his original email below.

Hello John

My name is Suren and I'm a co-founder and CEO of Mobicip. I'm following up with you on your email to Mobicip support regarding our privacy policy. First, my apologies for the delay in getting back to you. This is a matter of great importance to us and I took some time to provide a legally correct response.

Does Mobicip use this data for any advertising or internet modeling usage data that gets sold to third parties?  I think it would be a GOLDMINE for Mobicip to resell it’s usage data to marketing companies who want internet polling data on what kids are researching and interested in on the web?

We absolutely do not use minors' internet usage data for any advertising or marketing purposes whatsoever, and we do not share data with any third party for any purpose whatsoever. 

Mobicip’s website has a privacy statement, but it only address their e-commerce relationship with their customers.  This statement completely ignores the privacy rights of the minors that will be using the Mobicip browser.  Their is no statement on what Mobicip does or does not do with all the browsing traffic data, search results, and internet history that is sent to Mobicip from the Mobicip browser?

You are absolutely correct about this. We take the privacy rights of minors using the Mobicip browser very seriously. The Safe Browser app itself does not collect any personally identifiable data without the Premium service. Browsing history data can only be accessed by parents and administrators who upgrade to the Premium service. The ability to track internet usage history is a feature of the Premium service and those who upgrade are showing explicit consent to allow us to do so. This data is private and we never ever share this information with any third-party or use it for marketing or other purpose whatsoever. In fact, I had addressed this question in a blog post as early as 2009, way before the awareness about minors' privacy came into public discussion.

That we do not address this privacy concern directly on our website's privacy policy, FAQ or knowledge base is definitely a shortcoming. In as much as this can be an excuse, we consider it a given that internet usage data is private and cannot be shared. I am taking steps to correct this immediately. Please bear with me and I will send you an update on the actions taken.

I hope this addresses your questions and concerns for now. We really appreciate the time and effort you put into this and we truly appreciate your advocacy for the privacy of minors. 

Thanks

Suren

From: <email address withheld>

Subject: Request Information

Date: January 5, 2013 8:09:02 AM PST

John has sent the following message.

Mobicip seams like the right alternative for protecting minors from from having unmanaged internet web browsing access.  I have a tight router protection policy here at home, but it does not protect them when they take their iPad to a friends house and I have no granular control over YouTube content. Mobicip and the premium service account seams like the right idea.

However there are some real privacy issues that the Mobicip website does not identify for parents.  It indicates that all Mobicip browser communications are sent to Mobicip via encrypted communications?  I can only assume that the Mobicip service acts a a proxy/gateway for all web browsing from the Mobicip browser?  Technically I think this is the right (possibly only) approach, but this hands over A LOT privacy issues about a minor’s usage of the Mobicip application.

Mobicip’s website has a privacy statement, but it only address their e-commerce relationship with their customers.  This statement completely ignores the privacy rights of the minors that will be using the Mobicip browser.  Their is no statement on what Mobicip does or does not do with all the browsing traffic data, search results, and internet history that is sent to Mobicip from the Mobicip browser?

Does Mobicip use this data for any advertising or internet modeling usage data that gets sold to third parties?  I think it would be a GOLDMINE for Mobicip to resell it’s usage data to marketing companies who want internet polling data on what kids are researching and interested in on the web?

This is a major privacy omission that Mobicip does not address tin their FAQs, Privacy Statement, or user forums!  It’s even a little suspicious that Mobicip and all the internet safety review websites recommending Mobicip do not even address this issue?  I’ve seen many YouTube video’s from concerned parents indicating how great this is, but they do not even realize or address that they could be handing over all internet search, history, and tracking to this Mobicip company that we know so little about.  And worse this internet history is almost guaranteed to have a red flag that it is coming from minors!

I will be testing Mobicip.  Again it seams like the right solution.  But the lack of a privacy statement addressing their usage of the web traffic data is a red flag and a real concern that should be address before I can commit to using this for my kids.

Happy Holidays

As an exciting 2012 comes to an end, the entire Mobicip crew takes this opportunity to thank you for helping spread the word about Mobicip over the last four years.

As your family's iPads (or other internet devices) make an appearance over the holidays, make sure to create a safe internet environment for your kids.

Here's wishing you happy holidays and a wonderful 2013 to look forward to. Your continued support is much appreciated!

The Mobicip crew

Hart Research Associates recently conducted a quantitative research project to explore and better understand the online behaviour of teens, parental supervision of their teen’s online behaviour, awareness among teens about parental supervision and attitudes of both pertaining to online safety. Two surveys were conducted, one of 511 teens in the age group of 13-17 and the other of 500 parents. While reading the report, one significant factor that jumps out is that teens are not much aware of parental supervision of their online activity.

84% of parents monitor their teen’s online and mobile activity while only 39% of teens believe their parents do so.

There is a significant gap of 45% in perceptional difference in what parents actually do and teen awareness. 11% of teens say their parents monitor their online activity very closely while parental survey reports of 31%. Again, 28% of teens believe that their parents monitor somewhat closely compared to 53% of parents in actuality.

91% of parents say they are informed about what their teens do online and on their cell phone

37% of parents say they are very well informed, compared to teens’ perception of 21%, a 16% of gap here. 54% of parents are somewhat informed of their child’s online activity while only 41% of teens think so, again a difference of 13%.

Perhaps the biggest difference between teens knowledge about their parental supervision pertains to their access of social networking sites

Among the varied social networking sites, 38% of parents know well about their teens’ Twitter usage, while only 14% of teens think so.

Notable differences exist among other social networking sites too.

• Face book – an 18% gap
• Pinterest – a 14% and
• Tumblr – a 15% gap

For other online platforms the gap between teen perception and parental supervision is nil or little

• Online gaming - teens are aware that their parents know they game.
• Texting awareness speaks of a 3 point gap,
• Instant messaging a 7 point gap and,
• Teen YouTube usage reveals a 10point gap.

Online Safety – Teen and Parental Perception

Parents and teens are more or less on the same page pertaining to online safety.

• 95% of teens feel safe online, and 94% of parents agree with this.  
• An open ended question was asked to know what safety meant to the different groups. 25% of the teens said being safe was having their online privacy well protected, while 17% equated safety to prevention of harm or harassment.
• Parental perception of safety involved avoiding stranger danger situations, said 29%, and 26% said it was ensuring their children's online privacy and protection of personal information.

Both, parents and teens are similarly concerned regarding potential outcome of teen’s online activity. However, attitudinal differences are evident in their sensitivity to stranger danger scenario and access to inappropriate content.

• Parents and teens widely differ about the fear of exposure to inappropriate concern. 79% of parents fear this compared to just 53% of teens.
• Similar differences are exhibited by both in the stranger danger situation.  78% of parents worry a stranger might learn of their teen while just 59% of teens view this as a threat.

An online posting might bring trouble, worry parents and teens, though in varying degrees.

• 57% of parents and 43% of teens fear electronic bullying for a posting made by a teen.  
• 50% of parents worry their children may be teased for their online postings compared to 41% of teens.
• Teens and parents are equally worried about posting made by teens which might affect their relationship with their educators, and impact future college admissions or job potential.  

Parents and teens identify identity theft to be the biggest online safety issue

• Teens protect their online privacy especially for social networking sites.
• 81% of teens have set privacy settings on their social networking account.
• 65% place a limit on whom they share their posts with, and
• 54% have removed a tagged photo.

Despite these precautions 51% of teens have done something by which an outsider can access their information like

• commenting on a blog
• sharing recommendations for TV shows
• mentioning the place they lived
• sharing their name, address or passwords, which are really dangerous or
• planning to meet a stranger which is very risky

Parental worry over their teens’ safety on the internet is justified in most cases. As concerned parents ourselves, we fully empathise.  We at Mobicip therefore work to provide a safe, secure and customised internet for your family, which can be accessed from any mobile device.

The Mobicip crew lauds parents taking steps to provide online protection to their children. But we recommend keeping your children informed about the steps taken. Parents check browsing history, log on to their children’s face book accounts and read messages, but there exists a great gap in how much their teens are aware of this supervision.  93% of parents say they converse with their teens about online safety precautions taken by them, while only 61% mentioned their parents ever spoke about this. If you are a parent, that is a statistic worth thinking about.

If he or she hasn’t already, your child is definitely going to ask you for a tablet for Christmas, and it’s only a matter of time before you or Santa is forced to consider the varied available options on the store shelf. It is vital to choose a tablet with great care and buy one which allows you to exercise some level of parental controls, according to Michelle Mastin. In her article - Parental Controls Face Off - she has created an informative compilation of the pros and cons of three tablets - Kindle Fire, Nook HD and the iPad - to help you zero in on the right one.

Parental Control – As a Third Party App

Google Nexus 7,  Google Nexus 10 or any Android tablet for that matter, does not have a built in parental control app, and you’ll need a third party app like our own Mobicip Safe Browser for Android, Zoodles Kid Mode, Kids Place, or Funamo for that. In general, Android tablets are a great buy for their small screen size, light weight and low price.  

Kindle Fire HD Free Time

The latest software update to the 7”and 8.9” models of Kindle Fire HD is the Kindle Fire HD Free Time. It has a child-friendly interface. You can set up profiles for up to 6 children, each with their individual home screen, filtered content and screen time restriction.

• As a parent you can also filter content for each individual child, by white listing books, TV shows, movies and apps.
• By default, your children cannot browse the web or visit social networking sites as these are completely blocked out. We recommend, of course, that you download and setup Mobicip’s Safe Browser on the Kindle Fire as one of the allowed apps.  
• Perhaps, the best feature of Free Time is the ability to set content based screen time limit. For example, you can provide unlimited time to read books, while you can restrict movie watching to a pre designated time limit. Or else, you can just restrict the total screen time limit.
• Entry and exit to Free Time are password protected and your child cannot break out of it. Once time runs out, a pop-up informs you about it and you hold the option of increasing their Free Time.

Nook HD Child Profile

The Nook HD user profile makes it easy to share one single device with six people. You can have unrestricted adult profiles and set up a child profile with parental controls.

• Child profiles show the books, movies and TV shows you have selected for them and it’s not possible for children to switch profiles as they are pass code protected.
• Your children can customise background or desktop as it is user specific.
• You can either turn on or off web browsing, there is no content filtering for the browser.

iPad Restrictions

Parental controls on the iPad is available in the form of a feature called Restrictions.  The restrictions you set will apply to the iPad in general. So if you and your child are using the same device then you will have to enter a pass code and disable Restrictions every time you need to access content that's off limits for your child.

Which Tablet Suits Your Needs?

In her article, Michelle compares the three tablets and here is what she says:

User accounts

• The Nook is the only tablet where the home screen and content collection can be customized for each separate log in. Parental controls apply and can be set separately for each child’s profile.
• On Kindle Fire HD child accounts are possible only on Kindle Fire HD Free Time. 

Child Friendly Interface

• The iPad is kid friendly, so is the Nook HD, which makes it possible for even a preschooler to figure it out viewing the large icons for books and movies.
• Amazon on Free Time has grouped individual characters of movies, books, TV shows and apps into one category making it easy for Kindle Fire HD users to navigate around. Even the menu has pictures and makes for eye candy.

Screen Time

• Kindle Fire HD Free Time scores over all others on screen time limit. This particular feature is very useful when your child is back from school and home all alone.

Content Filtering

All three gadgets allow you to filter content by making a choice on books, movies, TV shows and apps through ratings.

Web Filtering

While the article is generally informative, we are a bit disappointed about Michelle’s conclusion that the ability to allow web access and then filter content is not available on any of these tablets.

Mobicip’s Safe browser creates a safe and customized internet on any iOS or Android tablet. K9 from Blue Coat Systems is another free option which offers parents the ability to provide a safe internet experience.  

We fully endorse the view that tablets are powerful learning gadgets and a necessity for children in this digital age. If you wish to allow internet access, we suggest that you install a Safe Browser such as the one provided by Mobicip to make the internet a safe experience for your child. 

Using cell phone for class room instruction can be a double edged sword. It’s a great way to increase student participation and productivity. Yet at the same time, these very gadgets can turn into entertainment devices if the lesson is boring.  

Jennifer Carey has suggested a few good ideas to effectively use cell phones in the classroom for learning in her article - Four Smart Ways to Use Cell Phones in Class. These points which were initially discussed in Teaching with Smart Phones  are a useful guide for any educator.

Quiz

Conducting a quiz on Poll Everywhere can be fun. It’s a free app for an audience of 40, exceeding which, a payment has to be made. The teacher can create quiz questions and receive texted answers from students. As an educator, you can also think up other creative ways to use this app.

In-Class Back Channel

Back channeling is a great way to introduce additional facts during a lesson, or to just carry on conversations during group readings. Twitter is a good medium for back channeling.  However, any teacher will prefer a more controllable platform and Today’s Meet meets this criterion. On this platform, students can create temporary rooms for carrying on back channel discussions.

Poll Everywhere is another option worth considering for it also allows you to moderate statements and prevent anonymous comments.

In-class Readings and Handouts

You can also use a smart phone as an ‘e Reader.’ Place your books or handouts in a Drop box folder for your students to access it. For traditional reading content you can make use of various mobile apps like eReader, iBooks, etc. where you can use available free content or load your own customised versions. Your students can read and even highlight or annotate the documents.

Research

Genius Scan+ available for Windows, iOS and Android based phones is a good app for organising research says Ms. Carey. Learners can capture information using the built-in-camera and either store or export them to Drop Box, Google Docs or Evernote.  Evernote is a good app that enables organizing images and information like voice or hand written notes, web clippings, etc., which can be stored in pre categorized folders and tagged for future search or reference.

Ms. Carey also advocates Google Goggles, a Google images-based feature. It can search the internet for image based content. We recommend that you use a Safe Browser app with content filtering and parental controls like the one from Mobicip to ensure that students are able to do their research on the Internet safely.

Cell phones as educational gadgets are here to stay and to prepare our students for the future, it is necessary to properly integrate the use of these devices into class room learning. We at Mobicip are passionate about mobile learning and believe it will bring about a huge transformation in how children learn.

Thank you Attorney and Family Analyst, Rania Mankarious, and Great Day Houston with CBS News for sharing the helpful and insightful information about web safety for kids. Watch the video to hear about Mobicip internet filter and web safety for kids.

 Thank you Lynette Owens from InternetSafety.TrendMicro.com and thank you GoatCloud.com for the recent Mobicip mentions regarding "How parents can monitor texting and online activities" and "eReaders and Parental Controls."

• "There is a way to keep the browser on, but limit them to age-appropriate sites only http://www.mobicip.com/faq.  The app is from Mobicip and can be found on the Google Play (Android) app store.  The cost is USD $4.99  More info @ http://www.mobicip.com/pricing" - Lynette Owens from InternetSafety.TrendMicro.com
• "You can keep the browser on, but limit kids to age-appropriate sites only.  You’ll need to download an app from Mobicip and can be found in the Apple app store.  The cost is USD$4.99  More info @ http://www.mobicip.com/pricing" - Lynette Owens from InternetSafety.TrendMicro.com
• "Mobicip is a paid device-based service offering web filtering http://www.mobicip.com/products." - GoatCloud.com

HP made big news for all the wrong reasons last week when it announced the demise of its TouchPad, a credible competitor to the iPad aside from Android-based tablets.

Apart from the abruptness and timing of the announcement, I have little to disagree with the decision itself. For all the people who feel HP made a poor choice, I say look at the numbers. In fact, I would hold HP management accountable for not picking up on this earlier than they actually did.

As early as Dec 2010, Marco Arment, founder of InstaPaper, wrote an ironical commentary on his blog, aptly titled, "There really isn't much of a "tablet" market."

There’s an iPad market, and the iPad could be classified as a tablet, from a hardware-centric viewpoint. But the market for non-iPad tablets is about as big today as it was before the iPad, which isn’t nothing, but it’s close enough to nothing that Apple doesn’t need to worry about it.

It would have been just another funny post by an Apple fanboy had it not been eerily prescient in predicting what was to come.

Much has been written about why HP should have given enough time for the TouchPad to gain traction in the market. But you have to credit HP's leadership for taking a hard-nosed look at the numbers, and making a tough choice.

1. In a report published by Robert W. Baird, a wealth management and analyst company, 95% of people who own or are considering purchasing a tablet want the iPad.

2. A report from Nielsen shows that the iPad owns 82% of the tablet market in the US. I say "owns" and not "has captured" only because it shows no signs of frittering away its dominance.

3. Apple has sold roughly 29 million iPads since launch, while Android-based tablets are estimated at about 1.5 million. The HP TouchPad, 49 days after launch, had sold about 25,000 units, prompting AllThingsD to  label HP's non-starter the "OuchPad".

Even if you ignore the survey results, sales numbers don't lie. The writing, they say, was clearly on the wall. In light of the above, some comments from the punditry on the iPad is worth revisiting (thanks to  APPLInvestors for the iPad Death Watch.)

“Apple iPad - failure, joke or fiasco? Pick one”
Linen DeFiller, MillionFace.com, 27 January 2010

 

“The tablet market has only succeeded as a niche market over the years and it was hoped Apple would dream up some new paradigm to change all that. From what I’ve seen and heard, this won’t be it.”
John C. Dvorak, MarketWatch, 29 January 2010

 

“It’s a nice reader, but there’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, ‘Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.’”
Bill Gates, Microsoft, 10 February 2010