A representative of Smart Cyber Security introduces SafeGate Family at the launch ceremony in Hanoi on December 9, 2022. (Photo credit: THE ORGANIZER)

According to many reports, the average age of Internet users in Vietnam is becoming younger posing more challenges to both the young users and their parents.

According to Ngo Tuan Anh, CEO of Smart Cyber Security,there is a change in the current use of the Internet. In the past, the average Internet user was a teenager. During the COVID-19 hiatus, when people were forced to use the Internet, the average age got smaller.

“Widening the age range for Internet use has increased the number of Internet users. But child Internet users don’t have the necessary skills to protect their personal information, recognize malicious information, or avoid violent content and fake news. There needs to be a simple, easy-to-use solution to protect children in cyberspace,” said Tuan Anh.

Smart Cyber Security, a newly-established enterprise under the auspices of the National Innovation Center (NIC), has launched an Internet safety product for families called SafeGate Family.

SafeGate Family is the first cybersecurity solution for families to have been introduced in Vietnam, featuring a high-quality Wifi 6 router and a cloud computing mobile app.

Unlike other cybersecurity solutions, SafeGate Family operates through Security Cloud services, helping protect all household devices.

The new cybersecurity product also protects families against cyberattacks and malware, preventing toxic and unsuitable content for children.

Mr. Tuan Anh further elaborates on the SafeGate Family app, "Our aim was to make a product that’s as easy to use as a light-switch. For example, if you think TikTok is a harmful app for your children, you need only turn off the control button for that app."

What the company wants to protect adults from is cyberattacks, malware, and fake news. When malware or fraudulant information is detected anywhere in the world, Smart Cyber Security's system is updated with that information.

"Unfortunately, you could accidentally connect to a phishing address or domain through an unfamiliar channel. In that case, our app will protect you and your Internet-based devices immediately. We aim to build an ecosystem consisting of technical solutions, consulting services, and other support to give children a healthy interactive environment. All websites with violent content, fake links, and malware will be blocked at the gateway to protect all devices in the family," said Tuan Anh.

Despite having the app, Mr. Tuan Anh urges parents to keep close watch at their kids when they use the Internet.

"To help our children, we must know what they are looking at online, for how long, and when, so we can talk with them and intercede if the apps are inappropriate," said Tuan Anh.

As parents often work from morning to late evening, it’s hard for them to know how much time their children spend watching Youtube and whether they are using appropriate apps for their age, such as a dating app.

"Safegate Family helps parents deal with all those issues. Once the parents have such information, they can talk to their children and reach an agreement on when they can go online and what they are allowed to do there," according to Tuan Anh. 

At the launch ceremony earlier this month, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said that the SafeGate Family solution matches the Government’s national cybersecurity strategy until 2025 with a vision toward 2030, which aims to protect residents in cyberspace and promote online learning for students.

The ministry commits to accompanying Smart Cyber Security in developing digital products and an ecosystem of digital platforms to meet the needs of the Vietnamese people, said Deputy Minister Dung.

Vu Quoc Huy, Director of NIC under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said that NIC highly values its association with innovation firms to launch new hi-tech products and solutions in the local and global markets.