Dallas, October 10, 2013 – AdaptiveMobile, a leading mobile security firm, today announced findings from an investigation into Wi-Fi hotspots at US cafés, hotels, restaurants and retailers, and found, on average, that 75 percent allowed access to offensive or objectionable content. Researchers went to locations in Boston, New York and San Francisco and tried to access sites featuring pornographic content, pro-drug use, “hook-up” meetings, gambling, and extremist / hate groups.
Of the locations tested, cafés had the fewest controls, with researchers easily accessing 100 percent of all offensive content. This finding is perhaps the most disturbing as many tweens and teenagers frequent cafes, and can easily bypass parental controls set on their smartphones by switching to the café’s Wi-Fi access. Parents who place controls on smartphones, computers, tablets, game consoles and other devices may not be aware of how easily their children can access extremely offensive content during a routine café visit.
For the other locations, only 25 percent of restaurants blocked offensive content. Forty percent of retailers blocked pornographic content, but allowed hook-up, extremist, pro-drug and gambling sites. Only hotels showed consistency, but at a low level, with 20 percent blocking all offensive sites.
The findings should serve as a wake-up call to all establishments that offer free Wi-Fi access. The types of content their customers can access should be in line with their brand, company values, customer base and overall value proposition.
“Wi-Fi access and controls are becoming an important consideration in brand protection. What many establishments are learning the hard way is that these controls are not built into the service. Each brand should have a Wi-Fi access policy to determine what is and is not accessible based on their company values and brand reputation,” said Brian Collins, CEO of AdaptiveMobile. “Having these controls in place will give these brands the confidence of knowing that only acceptable content is being accessed and that their youngest and most vulnerable consumers are protected.”
To see more of the findings and read the report, visit URL: https://www.adaptivemobile.com/downloads/gsim9-us
About AdaptiveMobile:
AdaptiveMobile is the world leader in mobile security, enabling trusted networks for the world’s largest operator groups and protecting one in six subscribers globally. AdaptiveMobile provides Operators with the most comprehensive network-based security solutions enabling them to protect their consumer and enterprise customers against the growing threat of mobile abuse. www.adaptivemobile.com
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