WIREDGOV

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and Microsoft have teamed up so it’s easier than ever for Windows 8 users to access CEOP’s online safety advice pages or make a report about suspicious or inappropriate contact online.

Through a new app, downloadable for free from the Windows store, parents and children can quickly explore CEOP’s award winning educational videos, see the latest campaigns or follow CEOP’s Facebook page or Twitter feed updates.

CEOP and Microsoft hope the app will offer reassurance to parents and children using Window’s 8 through the ability to report quickly or access support. Reports could be someone acting inappropriately, engaging in sexual chat, asking you to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable or threatened, or may be as a result of someone being insistent about meeting up.

While users are using other Windows 8 applications, such as Internet Explorer, if they come across a website they want to report to CEOP they can use the shared functionality of the app to quickly access e-safety pages and alert the Centre.

CEOP produce a wide range of educational films and other resources through its Thinkuknow programme. These deal with a range of issues experiences by young people online and empowers them with awareness of the risks so they can protect themselves.

Nicola Hodson, General Manager of Microsoft UK said:

We are launching the new Windows 8 CEOP app to help parents and young people get access to clear and consistent guidance right on their desktop. The internet is an important part of all our lives and the benefits of being online and the ability to share knowledge and creativity around the world are enormous.

“However, there are also risks to being online whether through inappropriate imagery, unwanted contact or in the speed at which content intended to be private can quickly become public. This app will help parents keep talking with children about their online experiences and, if issues arise, offer meaningful support.”

Peter Davies, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre said:

Microsoft is a key partner for CEOP. Successful partnerships like this enable us to extend the reach we can achieve with our educational materials and make it easier than ever to report illegal or suspicious activity online. It’s another way in which we are working to close the net on offenders. I’d urge all parents to look at the range of safety tools available from www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/browser-safety.”

Get the Windows 8 app from the Windows Store