Frampol has been offering Internet Provision Services to Zimbabwe for a number of years now. At the onset Frampol identified the major risk areas of this internet service and has as a result formulated a Safe Internet Policy which is constantly being developed to meet the ever-changing internet landscape.

This policy enables Frampol to offer all customers countrywide a clean internet service. This service blocks harmful content like pornography, hate sites, internet gaming and can even control the amount of time a user can spend on websites like Facebook and other Social Networking Websites.

The internet has changed our lives and will continue to do so for a very long time. The risks and downfalls of the internet are becoming more and more apparent, and are changing at a rapid pace at the same time. To stay safe online, we all need to be informed.
Here are some statistics on internet use and related trends.

Although these statistics are from the USA’s Kaiser Family Foundation, in our experience they are a reflection of trends here in Zimbabwe.

• Home internet access has expanded to 84% among young people.
• 32% of teens clear the browser history to hide what they do online from their parents.
• 16% have created private e-mail addresses or social networking profiles to hide what they do online from their parents.
• 52% of teens have given out personal information online to someone they don’t know offline.
• 50% of 1st grade students do not have adults supervising them when they are online.
• 30% of young people say that they “often” or “always” hide their online activities.
• About 30% of children say that they don’t tell their parents what they are doing online, and would change their behaviour if they knew their parents were watching (31%).
• Nine out of ten children aged between the ages of eight and 16 have viewed pornography on the internet, in most cases unintentionally.
• 20% of teens and 33% of young adults have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves online.
• 39% of teens and 59% of young adults have sent or posted sexually suggestive e-mails or text messages.
• 79% of youth unwanted exposure to pornography occurs in the home.
• One in four internet users look at a pornographic website in any given month. Men look at pornography online more than they look at any other subject. And 66% of 18-34 year-old men visit a pornographic site every month.
• Numerous statistics drawn from the 2008 Internet Pornography Statistics confirm the impression that pornography is widely accessed by internet users, and that both production and consumption are expanding. Every second, there are approximately 28,258 internet users viewing pornography.

Internet control is as important at home as it is at the office. Businesses are at risk of productivity loss due to internet abuse. It has reached alarming levels. Facebook alone if left uncontrolled within a business can reduce employee productivity by as much as 30%.
Frampol have been helping homes and companies alike with solutions to these problems.

As can be appreciated from the statistics above, there are very real risk areas. The best advice for keeping family, friends and work mates safe online is to keep informed. Frampol is available to meet and talk over the options, find us at www.frampolafrica.com. Google ‘online protection’ and inform yourselves! Stay Safe.

Neil Padmore is director of Frampol IT. He lives and works in Harare and is passionate about communication, technology and community.