Panda Software Reports a 300% Increase of Pedophiles on the Internet Since 2001

Panda Software Reports a 300% Increase of Pedophiles on the Internet Since 2001 Glendale, CA - March 31, 2005 – Efforts by security forces in several countries have resulted in the localization and arrest of over 500 pedophiles who distributed child pornography via the Internet including public chats. While covering Spain, France, Sweden, Holland, Chile, Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay the network is estimated to have distributed 20,000 incidences of child pornography including videos, images and sound files. There are two issues to note with this news: • Governments are more concerned about ceasing these types of crimes • The number of these types of crimes is increasing. According to the NGO Protegeles, in 2001 500 calls a month were received reporting child pornography on the Internet. This figure increased to 1,500 in 2004. Similarly, this NGO has reported that between 2001 and 2004, it has received a total of 28,900 complaints and around 1,990 pedophile communities have been identified. Without a doubt, the risk of being approached by a pedophile is the most dangerous of those that threaten children and teenagers that use the Internet, but certainly the solution to these problems is not to ban use of the Internet. An in-depth study carried out by the “NGO Save the Children” of 487 children along with a large number of parents, teachers and experts in different countries revealed that they all consider the Internet somewhat useful. It is also important to bear in mind that a large number of the minors interviewed use the Internet almost daily. Chats have high use with children but this is also the pedophiles favorite tool for contacting potential victims. For example, in Italy, 86.5 percent of minors said that they used this means of communication regularly. Chats are precisely the main reason for controversy. Even though they are a tool that cyber-crooks can use to accomplish their goals, they are also a useful tool for children and teenagers to discuss a topic, or receive answers to specific questions from people of their own age. The concern for minors’ use of the Internet should not just focus on preventing attacks from pedophiles, but also on preventing children or teenagers from becoming a victim in the future. The IT crime prevention unit of the Spanish civil guard confirms that pedophiles that circulate the Internet are getting younger, which it attributes to excessive pornography online. PROTECTING CHILDREN IN THE INTERNET The three pillars for any security policy aimed at protecting children online are: training, supervision and use of appropriate security tools: • Training must aim to teach children and teenagers the risks they face and how to avoid them, so that they are never caught unprepared if a problem arises. • Supervision from teachers and guardians should include appropriate measures for safeguarding children and preventing them from browsing alone or control the time they spend on the Net. • Use of appropriate security tools like content filtering systems, antivirus, anti-spam, firewalls... To provide training and information about these and other issues related to protecting children in the Internet, Panda Software has launched its campaign: “Children and the Internet: don't let them talk to strangers.” This initiative aims to raise parent’s awareness of the dangers faced by their children when they surf the Net without supervision. This initiative is available in English and Spanish at http://www.defendyourchild.com/ and http://www.menorenlared.com/. As part of the campaign, Panda Software has made Platinum Internet Security 2005 available to parents with three months’ free services. This can be downloaded from: http://www.defendyourchild.com/?track=17099. ABOUT PANDA SOFTWARE Panda Software is a leading developer of IT security solutions for all types of users, with offices in 50 countries worldwide. One the fastest growing companies in the sector, Panda Software is also a recognized leader in providing innovative products and services to help it achieve its mission: to keep its customers’ IT systems free from malware and other threats at the lowest possible TCO. The company's unique TruPrevent™ Technologies, the most intelligent technologies to combat unknown viruses and intruders, offer unrivalled preventive protection for all types of clients: from the largest corporations through small and medium-sized companies to home users. For more information and evaluation versions of all Panda Software solutions, visit our website at: http://www.pandasoftware.com/ FOR MORE INFORMATION: Alan Wallace [email protected] Tel. (818) 543-6909