BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Family Safeware has announced iNet SafetyBubble, a parental control and web filtering application for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
According to the company, the application allows parents to customize which websites they want to block, either by category or individual site, and monitor web activity with detailed reports.
As a result, minors can use iPhone and iPod Touch devices to surf the internet in a "protective bubble."
Based on statements from company President and CEO John Padgett, Family Safeware is anything but pro-porn industry. Padgett notes the expansion of adult material into the mobile market, calling it "offensive content."
He also notes that as more children and teens use iPhones, they'll spend longer on the internet outside of the home or school, away from parental control.
"It's exciting that the iPhone is becoming more accessible," Padgett said. "However, as these devices become more prevalent, parents must take precautions to make sure their families are protected."
Apple already offers a parental control feature for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it cuts off internet access.
iNet SafetyBubble allows users to surf the web using an alternate browser that can be adjusted by parents through protection settings. Also, they can monitor activity and generate reports from any internet connection in real time.
The company said the system is designed to detect adult content. It claims that iNet SafetyBubble has nearly 100 multilingual human reviewers working around the clock scanning sites for keywords and such, as well as making sure that appropriate sites are not overblocked.
The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection has not seen or tried out the software, but technology and forensic research director Tim Henning told AVN.com he wasn't surprised by its launch.
"It is hard to comment on a product that I have not tested, but if it works properly it is a natural progression from desktop filtering products to the mobile platform," Henning said. "We will be seeing many new and existing filtering products begin to offer filtering for mobile devices, as this is the fastest growing platform worldwide for teens."
iNet SafetyBubble is available on the iTunes App Store for $19.99.
