airG Patrols Mobile Communities

Social networking sites - both traditional Internet communities and mobile-specific newcomers - are trying to make inroads in the mobile space right now. Similar to the Internet world, many of these mobile communities are causing some anxiety because of the potential for inappropriate content to get into the wrong hands.

This concern has prompted airG , which powers a white-label mobile community service for wireless operators, to market its filtering and monitoring technology to other social networking companies, wireless operators and software vendors. Called Community Patrol, the platform operates a clearinghouse for user-generated content in wireless social networking products. Community Patrol complies with international monitoring regulations, including the Australian Communications & Media Authority and the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of telephone Information Services in the United Kingdom. According to Fred Ghahramani, director of airG , Australia and the United Kingdom already have implemented strict guidelines for social communities and he expects similar guidelines to be implemented in the United States soon. "In the U.S., there are no clear-cut rules," Ghahramani says. "CTIA and the carriers are working on them."

Community Patrol offers an extensive monitoring toolkit as well as human monitors that check every profile and picture. Ghahramani says that the Community Patrol is not a family values play but a risk reduction play.  "We are Canadian and very liberal."

Ghahramani says the product came about because airG already provides these services for its own social communities. The company powers communities for at least 80 operators internationally as well as BoostTalk from Boost Mobile and Coolchat from Alltel. "We have invested millions and have a 24/7 monitoring service. You can license the software and hire your own humans or do a per-seat license and route your content through us," Ghahramani says.