How Smith Micro is Helping to Keep the Internet Safe in 2024
Original post February 7, 2023; Updated February 5, 2024
As of January 2024, there are over 5 billion internet and social media users worldwide according to Statista.com. Of that 5 billion, Americans make up the third largest group of internet users with over 307 million daily participants. With such a vast digital population engaging in a myriad of activities – from work to socializing and entertaining videos – the internet becomes a bustling arena for both productive endeavors and potential hazards. Amidst this digital landscape, there is no question that malicious actors pose a threat to everyday internet users.
In today’s digital age, where connectivity is king and information flows freely, ensuring a safe online environment has become more crucial than ever. Let’s take a look at what Smith Micro is doing to help keep its customers and consumers secure this Safer Internet Day.
SafePath
Smith Micro provides solutions to companies that give their customers the tools to protect against malicious websites and inappropriate content at home and in stores. SafePath, Smith Micro’s Family Digital Safety solution, is a holistic application that helps to keep families safe at home, on the road, and online. SafePath offers its customers anti-malware and anti-phishing technology that helps to ward off unsolicited attacks from insecure or inappropriate websites. Extending this functionality is the SafePath Home module, which allows a customer to apply digital parenting tools like web monitoring, web filtering, web history and device classification for parents to help protect their child from online predation or identify sites that may have contributed to various threats affecting their home devices.
The tools are available to parents to allow them to facilitate a safer internet for their children; SafePath Home runs autonomously and efficiently to prevent web threats. For example, the web monitoring feature protects a child’s device from accessing an insecure site that hides a virus in the available downloadable app. The download will fail because SafePath Home detects a malicious site with threats and automatically blocks further access to the site. The parent can receive an alert to view the name of the malicious site, the threat being thwarted, the date and time the threat was identified, and which devices were at risk. Parents can talk to their children about identifying insecure or malicious sites online. Using SafePath and educating children about malicious websites can be an effective strategy to protect the most vulnerable online users.
ViewSpot
Through the retail management and digital signage platform ViewSpot, retailers can feel assured that their browsing customers don’t infect devices with malware or access inappropriate content through the store’s Wi-Fi. This is because ViewSpot has comprehensive features like URL filtering that automatically allows store managers to block specific sites and apps on in-store devices. Because of these features, customers of all ages can safely browse a retailer’s selections of devices without fearing someone opening offensive content from the previous person on it.
In Conclusion
Smith Micro is committed to helping its partners, and end users instill a sense of safety when going online with its SafePath and ViewSpot solutions. By leveraging digital parenting features, SafePath helps protect families from the unknown dangers lurking on the internet. ViewSpot keeps retail customers safe by limiting what they can and cannot access on in-store devices. However, these tools are only one aspect of the internet safety equation. A safer internet experience requires due diligence from everyone using this great resource to keep themselves and others safe on the net.
