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A Letter From Our CEO
Dear Friends,
Here at the Kids’ Internet Safety Specialists (K.I.S.S.) we offer parents a very simple solution to the questions surrounding their children’s online activity: Proactive Surveillance.
But first…why am I here?
In 2005, after a long debate with myself on whether or not I should join Facebook, I was browsing the website using my husband’s account to try and persuade myself either way. I started finding family and friends who were active users of the website and one click lead to another when I found a profile with grainy picture of a girl whose face was partially covered with the camera. The photo was taken in a bathroom mirror and all I could see was long hair and an outfit that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Her pose was sexually suggestive, her torso so overly exposed with super low jeans and what looked like just a bra. To my surprise, the profile was viewable publicly (not only by her friends) and I clicked through some of the pictures…I was dumbstruck!
I recognized the girl in the photo as my 14 year old close family member! The comments that were left by boys on some of her pictures made me cringe…and she replied to most of them with “lol” or “<3” (sideways heart emoticon) or “xox”. Some of her male “friends” on her friend list definitely looked older than 17…I was sick to my stomach.
By any measure she was a great girl! Straight A student, played sports, great with her family, super older sister to her younger siblings…I panicked and didn’t know what to do. I quickly shut down the computer and tried to put it out of my mind.
This bothered me for a year and a half. Every time we had a family get together, I avoided contact with her because I found that I wanted to confront her and tell her how dangerous her behaviour was but, at the same time, felt it wasn’t my place to do so.
Early 2007, I worked with a software designer who designed a program to function as statistical reporting software…not malicious “hacking spyware”. K.I.S.S. was born and I started offering parents a way to monitor and track EVERYTHING that their children did online.
You’ve probably come across some websites that claim to offer you a “spy-monitoring” solution that logs all the activity on your home computers or laptops. You are required to pre-pay online and then download an executable file (.exe files are used to execute an installation component on your computer). Once you try to install this file, you will always be asked to disable your firewall and antivirus software… and to keep if off during the duration of your monitoring.
Do you know why you have to disable all your protective programs? Because these “spy-monitoring” files are coded to behave EXACTLY like viruses and other malicious software. If you do not disable your antivirus protection, it will identify the very file you are trying to install as a virus and send it to quarantine. You are putting your family’s online security and identity at risk just like with any other computer virus infection. Eventually you will notice extremely slow computer function, impossible online activities and deterioration of data integrity.
K.I.S.S. Computer Surveillance does not install harmful files on your computers. We have a special stealth software system designed to record and report statistical information. All the activities taking place on your home computers are thoroughly analyzed and then organized in comprehensive reference tables. When the surveillance period is complete, our “smart” software uninstalls itself.
It is completely undetectable and does not appear in your program files, or as an icon or in the applications/task manager of your computer system. More importantly, we keep all your protective antivirus software enabled because our surveillance is meant to help, not harm!
- No disabling your firewall!
- No disabling your antivirus protection!
- No harmful files installed!
- No virus-spy installations!
- No threat to your personal data!
- No threat to your family’s online security!
Are you wondering what I did about what I found on Facebook with my family member? NOTHING…and I still regret it! I should have given her parents all the information and showed them what I had found. But I was afraid I would be met with resentment and denials that “my child would never do anything like that, you’re mistaken!”
Well, eventually the courage she found from behind the computer keyboard at 14 years old translated to a courage that infused her overall behaviour at 20. Her entire lifestyle up to now has been influenced by peer pressure and media sensationalization of sex. No studies, no job, no aim, no focus…it’s sad…and my guilt runs deep.
But I vowed that even if K.I.S.S. helps just one family uncover their child’s dangerous online behaviour then I would consider that a success. And we’ve had that success many times over! Just when we think we’ve seen it all, we are still confronted with many shocks and surprises. The hardest part is witnessing the heartbreak parents experience when they are presented with some of the monitoring reports. I always reassure them it in no way reflects their ability as parents and explain that during a time when teens are inundated with mixed message but are still craving guidance, we need to be more proactive at keeping a watchful eye on their behaviour and steer them right when they stray.
Please, call or email us with any questions that you may have and let us help you understand why our services are important, safe and guaranteed to give you peace of mind!
We are not only here to help, but to inform.
Please be my guest and navigate through our website. We have included some important information we feel is key to understanding the online trends and behaviours displayed by kids 4-17 years old - like this Parent’s Guide To Internet Lingo’s Top 100 Code Phrases Used By Youths and Teens. It is shocking!
If you prefer, I invite you to contact me directly either by phone or email. I will be more than happy to address your questions or concerns one-on-one.
I know we can be of help to you but until then, happy and safe surfing!
Janice Aguilera
CEO
Kids’ Internet Safety Specialists
(905) 564-7138
janice@kissconsulting.ca
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