New Software developed by Irish firm to help tackle INTERNET bullying will be tested in Germany
New software developed by anti-bullying experts and an Irish technology firm that could screen and block access to harmful internet material on phones is to be piloted in Germany.
Stephen Minton, a lecturer in the psychology of education at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), has helped Techbridge Consultants and Vodafone to develop the technology.
It extends aspects of existing project Safety Net, which operates on millions of phones to time manage access to texts and block numbers.
The software will shortly be tested in Germany. Dr Minton said: “It’s a very advanced version of a call filter application. Children are only allowed access to pre-approved sites.”
Dr Minton, formerly of the Anti-Bullying Centre at TCD, also said litigation was long overdue for cyberbullying offences.
The death of Donegal teenager Erin Gallagher, who took her own life, is the latest high-profile case of cyberbullying and Dr Minton said new laws were needed, citing legislation that has been in operation in Britain for almost 10 years as an example of what could be done.
“We are at the point where we need litigation,” he said. “That is my firm belief.” He said new laws could apply to all types of bullying, but with the anonymity granted by cyberbullying, there was a need to extend laws that are infrequently used.
One law dating from the 1950s covering tele- communications covers text messages and Dr Minton said he was aware of a number of young people who had been cautioned by gardaí because of bullying text messages they had sent.
He said community gardaí had been given guidelines as to the use of this law and said: “You could see how that could be extended to internet use.”
A report launched last Friday by the office of the Ombudsman for Children also made a number of recommendations.
Young people who were consulted for the report suggested school websites should allow for reporting of bullying, something Dr Minton said was “a very sensible suggestion”.
If the piloting of the technology application for mobile phones proves successful, it is likely to be rolled out across a number of formats, but Dr Minton said it was less about establishing a “parental monitoring system” and more about encouraging children and their parents to communicate over the use of technology such as smart phones.
As much as half a billion euro’s in retail stock stolen every year ‘says Retail Ireland’
More than half of retailers say they have experienced increased levels of crime in the last two years.
Retail Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the retail sector has today published a new retails crime survey that reveals that shoplifting, robberies and fraud are on the rise.
More than half of retailers say they have experienced increased levels of crime in the last two years, with over half a billion euro (€512 million) in stock being stolen in total each year.
Retail Ireland has called for a “more pro-active and collaborative approach” from Gardaí and retailers, saying that those caught shoplifting should bear the full brunt of the law.
The survey of 33 retail companies, which have over 800 shops and employ over 67,500 people around the country, found:
- 52 per cent of retailers have experienced an increase in crime in the last two years
- Nearly half of retailers (49 per cent) have experienced theft of cash from their premises
- 82 per cent have suffered from shoplifting, with 39 per cent experiencing theft of stock from employees
- Over a third (36 per cent) have experienced refund fraud and almost half (46 per cent) have experienced credit card or cheque fraud
- Just under one in three (30 per cent) have experienced criminal damage
- One in three (33 per cent) intend to increase the level of security tagging on items sold in their stores in the next 12 months
Retail Ireland Director Stephen Lynam said the findings were “shocking but not surprising” because retail crime had been increasing since the start of the recession.
“Research shows that retailers’ inventory loss caused by crime in Ireland at 1.43 per cent in 2011, the equivalent value in sales of some €512 million,” said Lynam.
While this is significantly lower than countries like the United States (1.59 per cent) and the Czech Republic (1.50 per cent), it remains higher than the United Kingdom (1.37 per cent) and Spain (1.4 per cent).
Ireland ranks an embarrassing 11th out of 22 countries in Europe for shop lifting, with employee theft accounting for over a third of the total; the highest rate in Europe.This is a staggeringly high cost, which has to be factored into retailers’ pricing decisions.
To help combat the problem, Retail Ireland has made a series of recommendations to Government, including the full implementation of An Garda Síochána’s Theft from Shops Prevention and Reduction Strategy – a strategy it calls a “proactive, collaborative effort to prevent retail theft” by the retail community and the Gardaí.
It also recommends that local retail theft meetings are set up, involving local Gardaí and retailers, to allow for the sharing of intelligence and best practice in tackling retail theft on the ground.
Retail Ireland says that business owners should fully inform themselves of the strategy’s recommendations and put appropriate measures into practice.
MEANWHILE SECURITY WARNINGS BY GARDAI:
Irish filling stations urged to beef up their security
An increase in “drive-away” thefts in Dublin has prompted gardai to work closely with filling station owners to step up their security.
Officers believe recent increases in the price of petrol have led to a significant rise in the number of motorists driving off from garage forecourts without paying for their fuel.
The increase was particularly sharp during a two-month period when petrol prices rocketed, with the worst offenders operating at garages on the northside and in the west of the city.
They have also been advised to install pre-paid pumps nearest to the road and farthest away from the shop staff.
Irish firms report a 33% rise in internal Internet attacks
Just 10 per cent of Irish companies believe their information security measures meet the needs of their organisation, with one third of companies reporting a higher number of security incidents in the last year, according to a new survey published today.
Consultancy firm Ernst & Young’s latest Global Information Security Survey, which surveys more than 1,850 executives across 64 countries annually, found 85 per cent of Irish companies reported an increase in risks arising from external attacks, with a third reporting that internal vulnerabilities are also on the rise.
The survey revealed Irish companies are behind their international counterparts when it comes to having an overall security framework in place.
Some 76 per cent of Irish respondents to the survey indicated they had no overall security architecture framework in place. This compares to 63 per cent of global respondents.
Ireland is also out of step with international trends when it comes to spending to information security. The proportion of organisations planning to reduce their security spend over the next year amounted to just 5 per cent globally compared to 24 per cent in Ireland.
Cloud computing continues to be one of the main drivers of business model innovation, with the numbers of organisations using the cloud almost doubling in the last two years. That said, 38 per cent of global and 37 per cent of Irish organisations have not taken any additional measures to mitigate the risks, such as stronger oversight on the contract management process for cloud providers or the use of encryption techniques.
However, advances have been made by Irish companies when it comes to adopting mobile security techniques and software. Some 76 per cent of Irish organisations have mobile encryption and mobile device management software in place. This is in sharp contrast to global organisations, where only 40 per cent are using some form of encryption technique on mobile devices.
Organisations need to fundamentally shift their approach to information security in order to meet the threats presented by existing and emerging technologies, according to Hugh Callaghan, Ernst & Young IT risk and assurance services director.
“Organisations are making gradual improvements to their information security capabilities. However, reliance on short-term solutions exposes organisation to a higher risk of widening gaps in their security controls, leading to breaches as well as increased operational overhead,” he added.
Irish undertaker firm to stream funerals on-line
Through the use of internet technology, people living elsewhere in Ireland or in any other country in the world will be able to attend a funeral ‘virtually’.
BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS AND anniversaries are now all celebrated online, so it was almost inevitable that live web-streaming funerals for friends and loved ones living overseas had to be next.
The funeral venue located on the Crumlin Road is the result of a €150,000 refurbishment of the interior and the installation of the latest audiovisual, internet technology. People living elsewhere in Ireland or in any other country in the world will be able to attend the funeral ‘virtually’ via Skype by logging onto Massey Bangor-Drv.
Freddie Maguire, managing director, Massey Bros. said that over the past number of years requests for choice have increased.
We know that the majority of families in Ireland now have at least one member living overseas. That is in addition to the large number of people from overseas who have made Ireland their home. It is not always possible for people to get home quickly to attend a funeral so we made the decision to invest in technology which would allow for people to be present via the internet.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó Muirí officially opened the venue which is also Ireland’s first dedicated civil and religious funeral ceremony venue.
“The last census showed that the number of people in Ireland with no religious affiliation had increased by 45 per cent to almost 270,000 people. It is important to us that they have a place in which they can mark the passing of a loved one in a dignified and respectful manner,” added Mr Maguire.
Pearse Doherty’s Donegal by-election challenge case cost the Irish State €240,000
The Government had to pay out more than €240,000 for Deputy Pearse Doherty’s legal costs, following his action which resulted in the Donegal South West by-election, according to a report in the Irish Times.
The Sinn Féin TD sought to move the writ for the Donegal South West in 2010 because a Dáil seat still hadn’t been filled 17 month after Pat the Cope Gallagher was elected to the European Parliament.
Documents obtained by the Irish Time under the Freedom of Information Act show that the Dept. of the Taoiseach paid €175,125 to MacGeehin Toale Solicitors in relation to Deputy Doherty’s High Court case, while €66,550 was paid out in relation to the Government’s the Supreme Court appeal, which the Government ultimately withdrew before it was heard.
The Times report states that the cost of staging the election was €244,000 while the State spent a further €231,000 on postal costs.
After Doherty won the High Court case, with the court ruling that there had been an “inordinate delay” in moving the writ for the by-election, the then taoiseach, Brian Cowen, said the government was appealing the decision to the Supreme Court to clarify a point of law.
But the government later withdrew its case and Pearse Doherty was awarded costs by both courts.
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