A UN-study found that one in three children has become a victim of cyberbullying - and there is a growing tendency due to increased smartphone usage. In order to better protect children and teenagers from harassment on the Internet the Austrian telco company Drei decided to support the Israeli cyber-tech startup Keepers Child Safety with the launch of its child safety app in Austria.
The app from Keepers represents the first child safety app in the German-speaking world that recognizes in real-time if a child is exposed to cyberbullying or inappropriate content by using the startup's proprietary AI-based NLP-technology while prioritizing child privacy. This is a game changer in the fight against cyberbullying and other online dangers as early-detection is key to preventing harmful scenarios.
Partnership with a leading Austrian Telco Company.
For Drei the exclusive partnership with Keepers in Austria complements the telco company's online security product portfolio that already includes cooperations with insurance companies in the areas of travel insurance and cyber insurance.
Günter Lischka, Head of Private Customers at Drei: "The effects of digital tools on the mental health of children and teenagers has become more relevant than ever, not only but also due to the covid-pandemic. Through our partnership with Keepers Child Safety we want to support parents to recognize quickly if their children are facing issues in the digital world."
Keepers Co-Founder & VP Business Hanan Lipskin: "We are pleased that together with Drei we can now bring our solution, which has already been successful in Israel, Italy and Japan, to the German-speaking world. With our technology we are generating massive social impact and we are providing our partners with the opportunity to provide more value to their customers."
Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing.
98% of children and teenagers in Austria at the age of 11 to 17 years are active on WhatsApp. More than four out of five are using instagram. Through the partnership of Drei and Keepers Child Safety, parents in the German-speaking world now have access to an easy-to-use Child Safety App that recognizes the context of conversations and content that children share and receive via their smartphone by using artificial intelligence and natural language processing. The app is monitoring the sent and received private messages of all major social media channels such as WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram etc. and alerts parents in case of potential threats.
Early Detection of Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Mental Problems.
The app can be easily installed on the respective child's smartphone once the parent has first downloaded the app to their handset and created a parent account. Via intelligent text recognition Keepers alerts parents in real-time in case of bullying but also if it recognizes sexual harassment or signs of mental problems. The monitoring is non-invasive: Parents only see the messages that triggered an alert and never have access to full conversations or shared images in order to protect children's privacy. The app also protects children from inappropriate content such as porn, gambling or hate speech, offers GPS location-tracking and shows the battery level of the child's smartphone. In addition parents can block or restrict the child's access to specific apps, e.g. during school or at night.
Well-known investors and funding for research & innovation.
Among the early investors of Keepers Child Safety are Austrian ex-chancellor Christian Kern and Eveline Steinberger-Kern of The Blue Minds Company. The Keepers App received an innovation product grant from the European Commission via the Horizon 2020 Program and has recently received funding of more than 1 million euros by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency.
Data Privacy as a Priority.
Data protection and personal privacy is always the top priority of Keepers. The platform operated by Keepers is hosted fully in Europe and meets strict data privacy regulations. The company has been audited by Deloitte to confirm its strict compliance with the GDPR.
Available to all parents, no contract with Drei is necessary.
The Keepers App offers a 14 day free trial period to all parents and costs 3,99 euros per month or 35,90 euros per year. Drei clients have the convenient option to pay via their Drei bill and don't have to provide any payment information. All other users can pay via credit card in the Apple App Store or in the Google Play Store. Up to five children can be protected with one family subscription.
Keepers supports a number of social media apps on Android devices, including:
- WhatsApp
- TikTok
- Snapchat
- Instagram
- Telegram
- Discord
- Kik
Source: https://www.keepers.ai/