More on eSafety Solutions

Whilst the internet is undoubtedly a wonderful educational resource – being the largest, instantly available, repository of information – it brings with it a number of issues that schools must address to ensure that children are protected. The internet is global and unregulated and, not surprisingly, contains data which is obscene, offensive and threatening. Even though the scourge of pop-up advertisements has now largely been eradicated through advances in browser software which block pop-ups, other problems remain. Innocent routes - like the misspelling or mistyping of web addresses, or an unintentional click on an inappropriate banner ad - can still lead to children viewing highly inappropriate sites as well as natural curiosity. It is important to note, too, that even innocuous material may be inaccurate and therefore a hindrance rather than a help in an educational setting. As a result it is appropriate to encourage older students to approach all web-based information with scepticism although this is something that cannot be expected of younger children.

A ‘whitelist-only' policy – where the school's internet access is set up so that only a list of pre-approved sites can be viewed – can clearly obviate problems regarding both offensive material and, to a large degree, inaccuracy. However, whilst such an approach may be appropriate with younger children it will generally be overly restrictive for older children who, anyway, may well have unregulated internet access through computers outside school – in internet cafes, libraries and at home – as well as through their own mobile phones. A ‘blacklist' instead – containing known problematic sites – will be useful but given the speed with which new material is added to the internet can often be difficult to maintain.

Whilst the above dangers have been well-known for some time, more recently internet self-publishing has become ubiquitous, bringing with it a new raft of concerns. Recent technologies have made it easy and inexpensive to publish images, music, videos, personal web spaces and blogs. Many sites - such as Bebo, MySpace and Facebook – are particularly attractive for – or even targeted at - children. If unmoderated, these types of site can promote the use of alcohol and drugs, as well as being sexually provocative – all of which, of course, are the more powerful because of the perceived peer-group approval. Unregulated personalization has seen the internet used as a weapon for bullying and threatening behaviour, particularly through ‘comments' that are added to web profiles, blogs and instant messaging.

Another worry is that whereas schools generally have clear guidelines about the use of children's images, and are careful not to identify children by name or link them with a particular school, several internet sites encourage the publishing of photographs alongside personal data. Such sites can obviously be used by sexual predators not only to gain knowledge of children's names, addresses and interests but also, as with other internet technologies, so they can pose as children themselves in order to befriend and gain children's trust. For older children, identity theft is another concern, especially given the popularity of making purchases over the internet. ‘Phishing' – the mass distribution of emails purporting to come from official sources and seeking financial information in order to obtain goods and services fraudulently – is not a concern for adults alone.

In addition to the risks outlined above there are, of course, traditional network threats such as viruses and hackers which can often endanger the school's intranet and with it administration, the security of sensitive data, and curricular and e-learning provision. Although totally risk-free use of the internet is clearly impossible, it is important that schools take all possible steps to minimize the dangers. Input and a co-ordinated approach from both educators and network managers are essential.

Traditional threats can be addressed effectively using tools such as Equiinet's SecurePilot, which provides schools with a secure network gateway and firewall. This device not only protects school networks from external intruders but also prevents unauthorized connections from within the school to outside services. An option for state-of-the-art anti-virus protection is included and importantly for many schools - and unlike many other products - videoconferencing can take place without jeopardising security. Different elements of the network can be segregated easily, for example curriculum and administration. This enables areas such as collaborative e-learning platforms and other externally accessible elements - which may be used by parents or the wider community - to be separated from core school systems so that an appropriate level of security can be applied to each.

Regarding other internet-related threats like cyber-bullying, until recently educators have had to rely on a number of general precautions such as identifying and publicising the risks, producing and enforcing Acceptable User Policies and having in place a rigorous method to record, report and deal with incidents. Although browser configuration and filtering technologies have helped to some extent in providing secure internet environments appropriate to children's ages, in other areas the burden has remained with staff who have needed to be vigilant in identifying and tackling problems: perhaps manually checking the personal areas and directories on children's computers.

However this approach, as well as being inexact is difficult and unpleasant for all involved: forcing teachers into policing-type roles and encouraging subterfuge on the part of pupils. Fortunately products are starting to become available which provide a more detailed and objective way to identify and manage issues. Equiinet's recently-launched eSafetyPilot, for example, uses sophisticated tracking and monitoring to detect, prevent and deter internet-based problems such as cyber-bullying; online gambling or shopping; the use of unmoderated chat rooms or blogs; and the viewing of inappropriate websites.

The device monitors all keyboard activity and screen content – emails, instant messaging, chat rooms, browser and search engine activity, for instance – recording only the items that violate previously-set guidelines so that pupil privacy is maintained. Items which are recorded can be customized by a number of factors including group, time of day and behaviours and can flag up individuals who are repeatedly ignoring guidelines. With this tool, staff can transparently monitor any traffic on the school's computers that does not meet the agreed Acceptable Use Policy and take action as appropriate – with the knowledge that there need be no classroom confrontations and that clear evidence of misuse will be available.

The availability of this type of package is a boon in the schools' fight against cyber-bullying and other misuses of the internet. Bullies are deterred, knowing their behaviour will be captured, identified and no longer anonymous. Victims have the advantage that they do not need to come forward. And all students can be free to use the internet and computer applications responsibly, with clear boundaries in place appropriate to their age groups. For schools, this type of automated internet monitoring and reporting sends a message of how seriously they take their duty of care: a message that will be welcome to children, parents, staff, educational authorities and Ofcom.

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