Posted by: Brent Olson on November 16, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Last week, we launched our new Smart Controls website in conjunction with the Fourth Annual Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) Conference. While my colleague highlighted all the great tools the new site has in place to help consumers manage their bills, I want to follow-up by pointing out its broader significance for parents and families.
Smart Controls includes tools for parents to help make sure their families are safe whether they are using our broadband, TV or mobile services. The site combines easy-to-find information about AT&T’s own safety and control tools with access to resources from a wide range of third party experts, all under a single online portal that makes it simple for our customers to find what they need quickly and efficiently. Check it out here.
I, along with my colleague, Jeff Brueggeman, had the pleasure of not only attending but speaking at the FOSI Conference, which was held in Washington, D.C. Jeff appeared on a panel focused on privacy and the unique issues facing parents and families with new location-based services. My panel focused on the mobile future and its broader impact on kids and online safety.
While Jeff described how AT&T is working to advance the ability of all of our broadband users, including parents and families, to control how and when they share information online, I focused on how mobile broadband brings an array of exciting new opportunities for parents and kids to stay safe and connected while identifying how AT&T and other actors in the mobile broadband ecosystem are actively working to address the new challenges that come with having access to broadband on-the-go.
FOSI has quickly become the world’s foremost online safety conference with a broad cross section of participants from industry, government, child advocacy groups, researchers, law enforcement, technologists, teachers and many others with a shared interest in ensuring that the 21st digital environment is both open and safe. This year’s two-day conference was another huge success with more than 400 participants from across the globe discussing issues ranging from cyberbullying and privacy to Internet freedom and censorship, all within the context of advancing the cause of online safety and digital citizenship.
The FOSI annual conference is truly a unique experience and unlike any other DC policy conference. For those not able to attend in person, FOSI has made available a robust library of conference footage, making the virtual experience truly the next best thing to being there. While you’re there, make sure you check out the amazing Go Figure video, which was debuted at the conference and presents a video montage of interesting facts and figures that document how technology has truly become an integral part of our lives, especially our kids, not just something we use.
Finally, congrats to our own Debra Hart, AT&T’s Lead Product Marketing Manager, who received the 2010 FOSI Award for her outstanding efforts in spearheading the development and launch of the Smart Controls website.
