The Falkirk Wheel applies “factor 50” online screening to keep Wi-Fi child safe

A GROUNDBREAKING scheme to keep young people safe when using public WiFi has

been taken-up by one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions, it was announced

April 12.

The Falkirk Wheel and operators Scottish Canals have asked Friendly WiFi (corr) to ensure

inappropriate content is filtered out for families and young people using its brand new Wi-Fi.

Friendly WiFi is an accreditation service initiated by the UK Government to ensure public Wi-

Fi meets minimum filtering standards, particularly around children.

The Falkirk Wheel will have family-friendly Wi-Fi up and running April 2017.

Friendly WiFi spokeswoman Bev Smith said: “As we enter the UK’s busiest outdoor season,

it’s fantastic to see venues such as The Falkirk Wheel undertake the responsibility of

ensuring that young people are as safe as possible when using public WiFi.

“Scottish Canals expect half a million people to visit this one site alone during 2017 and that

means an equivalent number of handheld devices like smartphones.

“So, much like the way we put sunscreen on their skin to protect from UV, we must be sure

access to unsafe online content on their phones also has the strongest filters.

“Joining the Friendly WiFi scheme is like applying Factor 50 – which means parents and

teachers can now be confident their children will be kept safe online, and everyone is free to

enjoy an amazing day out."

Venues displaying the Friendly WiFi logo have Wi-Fi filters which deny access to

pornography and webpages known by the Internet Watch Foundation to host indecent

images of children and advertisements or links to such content.

Andrew McSherry Head of ICT at Scottish Canals, said: “Having a safe and reliable WiFi

service is becoming a ‘must have’ for any modern tourist attraction so it is hugely important

to us that this access is secure for the thousands of children who visit every year.

“The Friendly WiFi scheme is a simple and highly effective way of us ensuring we are

providing confidence to people while they are online at the same time as offering the

enhanced coverage and connectivity that is now available.”