The power to control children`s access to undesirable content on the Internet is now in the hands of parents thanks to Internet filter Cyber Patrol, being made available locally by South African search portal Ananzi.
CyberPatrol gives parents the ability to block access to the increasing number of pornographic and offensive Web sites available on the Internet.
Access to local and international porn sites is restricted by means of a continually updated database of such sites. Parents are also able to manually restrict sites that they consider unsuitable for their children.
Another outstanding feature of Cyber Patrol is its ability to restrict Internet access to certain time periods. The product can also block the use of certain four-letter words in e-mail or chat rooms, stopping conversations before they turn nasty.
"With the explosion of smut on the Internet, software-based solutions have become the best methods of monitoring and blocking children`s Internet activity," says Mark Buwalda, Business Unit Manager of Ananzi.
"We`re making the Internet a safer place for family users. We`ll never be able to stop smut completely, but with CyberPatrol we are certainly making it easier for parents to protect their children."
CyberPatrol can be downloaded via Ananzi (www.ananzi.co.za) and users have 10 days in which to evaluate the product before they are billed at a rate of R495 a year. Twenty-four-hour telephonic support is available to all purchasers of the product.
CyberPatrol is distributed in SA by ATIO Corporation. Neil Cosser, ATIO Corporation`s Business Development Manager, is upbeat about the company`s first venture into the consumer market, saying the partnership with Ananzi is the "perfect" deal.
"We wanted to distribute a product for which we see a clear niche," says Cosser. "As Ananzi has a good relationship with customers, and is a name that Internet users know and trust, we believe they are the ideal partner."
Share
Ananzi started life as SA`s original Internet search engine, and has evolved to become the country`s premier search portal, serving up the best of the local Web through its search engine offering and directory service, e-mail offering, ananzishopping.co.za and content zones.
Ananzi is one of the most recognised South African Web brands, with just under 7 million page impressions per month. According to the Audit Bureau of Internet Standards (ABIS), Ananzi recorded 214% year-on-year growth for the second quarter of 2001 - due in no small part to the site`s speed of delivery and quality of content.
Ananzi, which is Johnnic e-Ventures` gateway to the South African Internet consumer market, combines the Inktomi search engine with the most comprehensive fully-audited directory of South African Web sites available on the Internet. More than 70% of PC Format magazine`s readers voted Ananzi their favourite SA search engine in a recent survey.
Other popular offerings are Ananzi`s free Web-based e-mail service and personalised start-up page (www.startpage.co.za), which is a customisable list of links and Web sites arranged in various categories.
Ananzi has strategic alliances with more than 20 partners to provide a wide range of content and product offerings. It is also a reseller of Keywords South Africa, a unique Internet addressing system which allows companies to strengthen their brand identity and provides customers easier and more direct access to corporate Web pages.
ATIO eCommerce
ATIO eCommerce is a division of ATIO Corporation that specialises in the Customer Contact Zone (CCZ). The CCZ can be defined as any "touch point", interface or interaction that an organisation has with its clients. ATIO eCommerce offers solutions and services to help turn Web sites into business assets, focusing on Web technologies and how the Web application is performing end-to-end.
For more information, go to http://www.atio.com
Editorial contacts