JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A cyber watchdog company wants to keep kids safe from online predators, especially if kids are using an app called Wizz.
Ricardo Servin, 20, was arrested and accused of portraying himself on the app as a 14-year-old kid before allegedly raping a 13-year-old Clay County girl he met through the app.
This case has urged two Jacksonville parents to open an investigation because of a similar complaint involving the Wizz app, although they said their daughter was not assaulted.
Bark Technologies is a for-profit online watchdog company that helps parents monitor threats to their children online through a paid subscription service.
The Wizz app appears to be like any other social media app that allows users 13 years old and up to meet other people and hold conversations. But according to Titania Jordan, chief parent officer of the company, it’s not a good app for kids.
She said there are several problems with the app that makes it not suitable for people under 17 years old.
“We know there are children 17 and under on this app and it’s not where children need to be. There’s too much of a risk for exposure to not only predators but harmful content. Whether it’s profanity, sexual content, violence, drugs, and substance abuse,” Jordan said.
When signing up to use the app, users are forced to input their date of birth and then use their phone camera in an attempt to verify their identity.
That allows artificial intelligence to scan a user’s face to make sure the face matches their age. But Jordan said children and potential predators have found ways to trick the AI-powered security system.
“A child can look older than their age and an adult can look younger than their age and what’s to stop the person with nefarious intentions from tricking the AI by putting another face in front of the camera to scan,” Jordan said.
Jordan urges parents to have conversations with their children about the dangers of meeting strangers online before the new school year begins.
“The second thing is to use the tech that’s built for parents to monitor their children. Just like you don’t let your children ride in a car without a seatbelt, don’t give them tech that can access the entire world, and let the entire world access them without parental controls and monitoring,” she said.
As for kids who still use choose to meet someone in person after they met them online. Jordan suggests...
“You need to let your parent know that you are going to meet this person that they met online. I met them on the Wizz app. Oh, what is that? Maybe I should go with you and see who this person is. Look at their driver’s license. Can I talk to their parent?” she urged.
She also said it’s okay for parents to tag along because they are responsible for protecting their children.