Internet Watch Foundation

 

StreamShield Networks™ ,  the leader in real-time, high performance Internet content security solutions, has announced a new partnership by becoming a funding member of the Internet Watch Foundation.

 

ISPs can now simply and cost-effectively prevent their subscribers from accessing illegal child abuse websites over their network, thus helping to prevent access to abusive images of children that contravene the Protection of Children Act 1978.

 

As a member and through an agreement with the IWF, StreamShield’s Content Security Gateway (CSG), a carrier-class product designed for deployment within the ISP’s network, now incorporates the IWF’s Child Abuse URL List – a constantly updated database of websites around the world which have been assessed and confirmed as containing potentially illegal abusive images of children which would be an offence to view in the UK.

 

The StreamShield CSG incorporates unique ultra high-speed scanning technology that is designed to monitor up to 250,000 web page requests every second, check target site against the IWF list, and decide whether to allow or block access depending on the result. As a result, ISPs now have a single product solution for preventing access to unacceptable websites without having to make significant and costly changes to their network infrastructure.

 

Peter Robbins, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation, comments: "Security measures installed to check all web traffic before it reaches the end user certainly contributes to a reduction in inadvertent exposure to potentially illegal content. By filtering, blocking & managing content, it allows the individual or organisation to be in control of their own online environment. By becoming a member of the IWF, StreamShield Networks has acknowledged the importance of the work we do and how working in partnership will be complementary to the security services it provides to its clients."

 

Andrew Radley, Director of Product Management at StreamShield Networks adds; "Our aim is to make the Internet safer without forcing consumers and business to purchase and deploy significant amounts of software and equipment within their own networks. By deploying our product solution within their own networks, ISPs can make a major contribution to stopping child abuse on the Internet."

CSG also automatically updates directly from the IWF, removing all human intervention between the blocking mechanism and the list, which ensures the list is protected and secured at all times.

 

StreamShield Networks is the leader in real-time, high performance Internet content security solutions.

The company’s products and services identify and block threats – such as viruses, worms, other forms of malware, spam, pornography and inappropriate content – in the Internet before the content reaches any users and harms their computer systems.

The company enables service providers, carriers and mobile operators to offer clean and safe Internet services to their residential and business customers which can be tailored to their own individual preferences and requirements.

StreamShield overcomes the performance and scalability limitations of current software and network appliance technologies (which are designed for customer premises rather than deployment in the Internet) through a unique, patent-pending silicon-accelerated content security engine called StreamScan™. Based on a massively parallel architecture, StreamScan can monitor network traffic and check for multiple threats simultaneously in real-time at multi-gigabit speeds regardless of protocol or application.

StreamShield Networks is an independent subsidiary within the Detica Group of companies.

 

For further information please visit www.streamshield.com.

Press contacts

Nicky Savvas and Neil Jessiman

StreamShield Networks CompanyCare Communications

T: +1 202 756 7734 T: +44 (0) 118 939 5900

E: press@streamshield.com E: neil@companycare.com

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