CIPA Compliance

Just posted a reply (reproduced below for your reading convenience) to this article by ZDNet's Christopher Dawson.

Chris:

Your article is very informative and highlights a key oversight by Zeeland. However, your assertion that:

"Most CIPA-compliant systems can filter off-campus devices through a simply proxy setup which can be pushed to iPads through the MDM system mentioned above."

is not correct. MDM systems will allow you to setup a proxy only when the device is on WiFi networks that you manage. Off-network proxy setting is possible if you setup a VPN, but turning off VPN is as easy as selecting Settings > VPN > OFF.

Companies like Mobicip and Lightspeed offer an alternate browser on iOS devices. By setting up this alternate browser and turning off Safari, you can ensure that the kids are offered safe browsing on any network. This is a limitation of the iOS platform and SDK, and Apple has its own justifiable reasons to keep it that way.

The alternate safe browser is a "good enough" solution to the problem, but it does mean turning off Safari and losing some of the conveniences (like weblinks on the home screen, links from emails opening in Safari etc.). So schools end up weighing the pros and cons and some decide to go one way or another. Zeeland obviously took the risky option and ended up being burned by it.

I would fault the school administration for not communicating the hazards and possible workarounds (many schools simply recommend that parents install Mobicip, which is available as a retail product through the App Store), but I think the administration would have been smart enough to setup a proxy through the MDM if at all that was possible. If only the options were that simple...

Thanks for bringing attention to this issue, though.

Mobicip's Safe Browser has been nominated for IEducational Apps Review's Best Educational App Awards 2010.

When you get a chance, please vote for Mobicip in the Best Web Browser App category. Follow this link to submit your vote.

Ballots must be completed by 6:00 PM EST December 15, 2010. Listen to the iEAR Podcast and check the iEAR community websites for the results.

Thank you for your kind help and support!

Did you know that Apple has launched an update of its software for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad? Yes. Apple has released iOS 4.2 and you can download it here or by clicking on the image below.

Please upgrade the software on your device asap to the latest version. The reason is that Apple has added enhanced parental control options that will make it difficult for a user to delete Mobicip. iOS 4.2 includes an option to prevent the deletion of apps installed by the parent or administrator.

To use this new feature, select Settings > General > Restrictions and enter the restrictions passcode. You will see this screen that you had used to disable Safari in the past. On this screen, you will now see an additional option called Deleting Apps highlighted below. Set this to OFF and your child will not be able to delete Mobicip once it has been setup.

In another much sought after enhancement, Apple has added an option to disallow email accounts from being setup. Whether you have setup a child-friendly email service like Zilladog or Zoobuh, or you simply want to turn off email access, this gives you the ability to lock email accounts and not allow your child to setup an alternate email account. Simply scroll down on the same Restrictions screen to setup this option.

We believe that these are valuable additions and that there is enough reason to upgrade your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad to iOS 4.2.

Updated tutorials with these new options highlighted are coming soon to our knowledge base.

Comal Independent School District in New Braunfels, Texas had identified a subset of the student population as English Language Learners (ELL). The district launched an ELL program for these students, as part of which each student was provided an iPod Touch. Given that the iPod Touch is an internet-enabled powerful computing device, the school had to overcome several challenges before they could deploy the solution.

Comal ISD decided to deploy Mobicip’s Safe Browser app as the window to the Internet on the iPod Touch. The Safe Browser app offers a safe, secure and educational Internet environment for school-age children.

“Mobicip fills a critical need for us. Students still have access to the Internet on any WiFi network and teachers and parents can feel confident that they are not accessing inappropriate sites.”, says Jennifer Wivagg, technology coordinator at Comal ISD.

Comal ISD has found Mobicipʼs solution to be effective, affordable and instrumental in enforcing CIPA compliance and implementing a managed one to one learning program using the iPod Touch, while allowing teachers to find innovative educational uses for safe and secure Internet access.

Click here to download the full case study.