KidGuard is a parental monitoring application for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

and Android

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

s. The application uses proprietary software to help parents monitor their children’s text messages, browser history, social media activity, stored videos or photos, emails, and phone GPS location.

History

KidGuard was developed by a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

-based team and officially released in 2016. After KidGuard's launch, the application received coverage on

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

and

Inc. Magazine ''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events y ...

. In 2017, KidGuard partnered with the startup incubator OnRamp Lab, located in

Taipei, Taiwan Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

. The same year, international security consultant

Gene Yu Gene Yu () is a United States Military Academy graduate, former U.S. Army Special Forces (United States Army), Special Forces officer and author. He wrote the book ''Yellow Green Beret: Stories of an Asian-American Stumbling Around U.S. Army Speci ...

joined the KidGuard advisory board to aid with kidnapping response and prevention measures. In 2020, Kidguard was the victim of a data breach which released customer data.

Features

Following the

software as a service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is con ...

model, KidGuard is run through a web application that allows a parent to view all activity on a child's phone, including: * Reading sent and received text messages, including deleted messages and texts sent via popular alternative messaging applications such as

WhatsApp WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). It allows use ...

. * Accessing browser history, call history and application usage, including duration and frequency. * Viewing all photos and videos saved to a child's phone, * Using a smartphone's

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

to track location, as well as setting geo-fencing to alert parents. KidGuard also includes a feature it calls a "Situation 360 Report," in which the application automatically creates a report to aid law enforcement in the event of a child's disappearance. The report includes a full profile of a child's recent locations, behavior and message history.

Controversy

Critics have raised concerns about the potential capability of KidGuard and its competitors to violate

privacy laws Privacy law is the body of law that deals with the regulating, storing, and using of personally identifiable information, personal healthcare information, and financial information of individuals, which can be collected by governments, public o ...

or to be used as a tool by

stalkers Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...

and

abusers Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

. In May 2018, KidGuard was featured in a

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

article which criticized the application's developers for running advertisements aimed at adults attempting to spy on their spouses or discover

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and ri ...

. After KidGuard was contacted for comment, a spokesman responded that these advertisements had been developed by a marketing partner. All content relating to infidelity was subsequently removed from the KidGuard website.

Philanthropy

KidGuard maintains an annual "KidGuard for Education Essay Scholarship" for high school students in the United States. The scholarship is awarded to an undisclosed number of participants, based on the results of an essay content whose topics concern

online safety Internet safety or online safety or cyber safety and E-Safety is trying to be safe on the internet and is the act of maximizing a user's awareness of personal safety and security risks to private information and property associated with using the i ...

and

cyberbullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...

. In 2017, KidGuard donated $25,000 in grants to 18 non-profit organizations focused on child safety and online threat prevention. The largest grant of $5,000 was awarded to the

Megan Meier Megan Taylor Meier (November 6, 1992 – October 17, 2006) was an American teenager who died by suicide by hanging herself three weeks before her 14th birthday. A year later, Meier's parents prompted an investigation into the matter and her sui ...

Foundation.{{Cite news, url=https://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/KidGuard+Mobile+Monitoring+Technology+Awards+$25,000+in+Grants+to+Nonprofits+with+High+Impact+Programs+that+Protect+Childrens+Online+Safety/12410460.html, title=KidGuard Mobile Monitoring Technology Awards $25,000 in Grants to Nonprofits with High Impact Programs that Protect Children's Online Safety, work=StreetInsider.com, access-date=2018-06-29

References

External links