Securly
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Type of site | Web filtering for schools |
|---|---|
| Owner | Vinay Mahadik, Bharath Madhusudan, Nikita Chikate |
| URL | www |
| Launched | January 2013 |
Securly, Inc. is a venture-backed[1] student safety and device management software provider headquartered in Silicon Valley. Securly was founded in January 2013 by Vinay Mahadlk[2], Bharath Madhusudan[3], and Nikita Chikate[4]. It was incorporated in California on July 19, 2013.[5] In March 2019 Securly expanded to cover classroom and device management.[6]
Securly uses natural language processing and machine learning techniques to provide a method for monitoring students across various data points including web browsing, web searches, videos, social media, emails, online docs & drive, and anonymous tips.[7]
Features
Web filters such as Securly are commonly used to prevent individuals from accessing certain web sites. Securly serves K-12 schools and parents of students by using various digital features to find data regarding internet usage. Securly's main purpose is to monitor students for suspicious activity, but is can also be used for classroom management. Many features, such as monitoring and filtering, are available on the platform. Securly features a parent portal, where parents are allowed to set up filters for home as well as any school filters already put in place.
Filter
Securly Filter is the primary method of monitoring on devices. The cloud-based filter works on devices like Chromebooks, iPads, Macs, and Windows computers. It gives full visibility of online activity, the ability to download and email reports and receive notifications for flagged content[8]. The filter uses machine learning algorithms to detect content on devices and block it. Filter works differently when geofencing detects that the device is on school campus or using a non-school Wi-Fi network.
Auditor and 24
Auditor is a system that is programmed to function under G-Suite for cyber-bullying and self-harm detection using natural-language processing. This alerts the school counselor and the parents of students involved.
As of 2019, Auditor was update to include image scanning of JPG, PNG and GIF files uploaded to Google Drive, combining flesh-tone detection and object recognition with machine learning to provide a nudity-detection service for both downloaded pornography and student selfies.[9]
Parent Portal
The Securly Parent Portal allows users to view what students or children are accessing online. It is available as an app on iOS and Android.
Tipline
Tipline is software that uses both human and AI monitoring to identify potential issues. It serves the same essential function as Auditor, but monitors social media, as well as internet usage.
Hub
The Securly Hub is a Wi-Fi router that applies the aforementioned features in the platform, as well as the ability to pause connections to individual devices. These settings affect all devices connected to its Wi-Fi network and enable parents to use another Wi-Fi router.[10]
Leadership team
- Bharath Madhusudan - CEO/ Co-Founder[11]
- Luis Curet - Senior VP of Sales Operations
- Rich Watson - Senior VP of Customer Success
- Scott Cohn - Senior VP of Finance
- Neeraj Thakar - Senior VP of Engineering
- Anders Johnsson - Senior VP of Global Sales
- AJ Tedesco - VP of Channel
- Alpana Thakar - VP of Operations
- Andy Hethcote - VP of Technical Support & Services
- Michael Jolley - General Manager, Securly HQ
- Jarrett Volzer, General Manager, MDM and Classroom Technologies
Controversy
While Securly has claimed its services help to prevent school shootings, no data exists that proves this claim.[12][13]
Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union allege that Securly impedes on Privacy Rights in schools.[14][15] Some criticism stems from the belief that Securly is shifting focus from the students' issues, discouraging counseling, and pushing a filter on students to make sure they don't break the rules.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Brewster, Thomas. "This AI Startup Constantly Monitors Kids To Stop The Next School Shooting—And It Just Scored $16 Million Funding". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ "Vinay Mahadik - co-founder/CEO of Securly, Inc". LinkedIn.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Bharath Madhusudan - co-founder/CRO of Securly, Inc". LinkedIn.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nikita Chikate, co-founder/CDO of Securly". LinkedIn.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "| California Secretary of State". businesssearch.sos.ca.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Education Technology Leader Securly Acquires TechPilot Labs to Deliver the First End-to-End Solution for Enhancing the Digital Student Experience". Business Wire. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Kolodny, Lora. "Securly raises $4 million to put guard rails on the internet for K-12 students". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "Web filtering, student safety, classroom device management". Securly. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ^ "Securly's Filtering AI Extends to Nudity Detection on Google Docs, Drive & Gmail". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
- ^ Kaul, Urvi. "Securly Relaunches the Hub - Safe-Wifi Hotspot for Families". PRWeb. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
- ^ "About Us". Securly. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ^ "Schools Spy on Kids to Prevent Shootings, But There's No Evidence It Works". Vice. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Beckett, Lois (2019-10-22). "Under digital surveillance: how American schools spy on millions of kids". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Duffy, Erin (2018-08-05). "Some Nebraska schools are digitally surveilling students for signs of self-harm, violence and more". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
- ^ Fulton, Sandra (2011-05-24). "Students Have Privacy Rights, Too". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2019-02-24.