Comcast Corp.
Wednesday announced its Comcast Online
Communications will provide customers with one free year of SurfWatch
content filtering software.
SurfWatch access will allow Comcast @Home users
to screen out unwanted content before it reaches their computers.
“We want to make the Internet a safe place for Comcast @Home customers and
their children to spend time together,” said Richard Rasmus, vice
president of Comcast Online Communications.
“The Internet contains thousands
of sites that are inappropriate for children and many more are added every
day. We are proud to give our customers this new tool to help protect their
children from these sites while enjoying the rest of the educational and
entertainment content the Web has to offer,” added Rasmus.
Comcast @Home customers are able to download the SurfWatch software and
updates over the Internet. Comcast is the fourth largest domestic cable
company serving approximately 4.5 million customers. Comcast Online
Communications currently provides high-speed Internet access in California,
Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina and Virginia.
SurfWatch’s filtering criteria, developed with an independent advisory
committee, will govern what material is blocked for Comcast @Home users.
Comcast @Home customers may also modify the filters if they are blocking
content to which the users do not object.
SurfWatch Software, a division of Spyglass
Inc.,, invented the Internet content filtering market in May 1995 and
is the only company to hold a patent on filtering technology.
