Irish firm launches 3G porn blocker
02-05-2003
by John Cradden

Irish mobile technology company Telcotec has launched a new product designed to protect 2.5G and 3G mobile phone users from unsolicited and pornographic content.

Telcotec's Content Guardian is a content filtering product that enables operators to filter pornographic images and block a limited amount of spam. The company, which launched the product at the O2 Digital Media Conference in UCD on Thursday, is currently working on a version of the product that will add virus checking and a more effective spam blocker.

"Picture phones are the current fashion fad in mobile phones and children take to the new technology with amazing speed and skill," said Telcotec product director Fran Fanning. "Already children are exposed to pornographic images and mobile operators are being asked to deal with the unwanted pictures in their network."

Content Guardian, which is managed by the mobile operator, will be able to block unwanted or adult content according to the wishes of the mobile phone owner.

It works primarily by analysis of images, including skin tone, the proportion of flesh displayed in an image and a variety of other elements. An image with a high proportion of flesh may be identified as an image with probable adult content and therefore blocked. However, such filtering mechanisms based on analysis of images means that some harmless pictures may not get through.

"It's won't allow a picture of a newborn baby to get through," admits Fanning. "But a picture of someone standing in a swimsuit could get through as long as the subject is not in a suggestive pose." Similarly, a picture of a face close up will not be unnecessarily blocked as the image analysis will also identify the composition of a photo.

The company is currently in discussions with O2, Vodafone, and other operators about Content Guardian with a view to engaging in pilot testing of the product and securing distributor relationships.

Although it has been developing mobile technology solutions for a variety of companies, most notably Ericsson, Telcotec, which employs 18 in Blackrock, is keen to spread awareness of its brand name and its experience and expertise, Fanning said. Established in 1998, the company has sold a management system for pre-paid subscribers branded by Ericsson to no less than 45 operators worldwide.

The company has been entirely self-funded since its establishment and is owned by Fanning, Brendan Phelan and Darragh Sinnott. Fanning said he did not anticipate needing to raise further funds through venture capitalists in the short term.