Smart Sheriff ( ko, 스마트보안관) is a South Korean

parental monitoring Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, Video game, computers and video games, mobile devices and software that allow parents to restrict the access of content to their children. These controls were ...

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

, introduced in 2015. It was developed by Korean app maker MOIBA, and is distributed free, sponsored by the South Korean government, which supported its development. The Korean government required its installation on the smart phones of all users who are under 19 years old, and the app allows the children's parents or guardians to monitor their online activity and block access to various websites. The regulation, passed by the

Korea Communications Commission Korea Communications Commission () is a South Korean media regulation agency modeled after the Federal Communications Commission of the United States of America. It was established on February 29, 2008, combining the former ''Korean Broadcasting C ...

, required compliance from both telecom companies and the public. There was no opt-out provision, the telecom operators have to ensure its installation on all new phones sold to those under 19 years of age and failure to install the app rendered the phone unable to operate. While the government maintained the app is intended to protect minors from harmful content, the app has been criticized for its invasion of

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

. It has a built-in

key logger Keystroke logging, often referred to as keylogging or keyboard capturing, is the action of recording (logging) the keys struck on a keyboard, typically covertly, so that a person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored ...

that will alert parents when children use words from a blacklist, such as rape, kill, pregnancy, suicide, or bully. It also monitors the user's location, usage time, what apps they use (giving the parents remote ability to uninstall them or power down the phone) and what websites they visit. The app has been called

spyware Spyware (a portmanteau for spying software) is software with malicious behaviour that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user—for example, by violating their privac ...

by ''

The Register ''The Register'' is a British technology news website co-founded in 1994 by Mike Magee, John Lettice and Ross Alderson. The online newspaper's masthead sublogo is "''Biting the hand that feeds IT''." Their primary focus is information tec ...

'' and "a general-purpose spyware juggernaut" by ''Infosecurity Magazine''. Further, critics have pointed out that the app is only available for

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

devices, leaving a loophole for users of other platforms, such as Apple

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 includes ...

. The app also does not work with older Android phones. An activist organization, Open Net Korea, has called the app the equivalent of installing surveillance cameras in teenagers's phones, without public consultation, and is challenging the regulation in court. There are concerns that introduction of the app for teenagers is only the first step, preparing the ground for introduction of a similar app for adults. By June 2015 the app had been downloaded about 500,000 times. It is the first parental control app that has been made a legally required, obligatory install in any country. In early November 2015, reports of serious security holes caused the Korean government to withdraw its support for the app and instead suggest using alternative services.

References

{{reflist Content-control software Internet safety Parenting Spyware 2015 software Computer-related introductions in 2015 Android (operating system) software 2015 controversies Controversies in South Korea 2015 in South Korea

See also

References