Masaru Ikeda
Tokyo-based startup A’s Child (pronounced as Ace Child) recently launched a web service that aims to protect children from bullying and other threats stemming from social media interactions. It’s called Filii. The service lets you analyze your children’s posting or messaging through social media (with their approval), and it will notify you to take counter- or preventative measures when any cause for concern is detected.
These days, with words like sexting creeping into mainstream conversation, social media and messaging apps are coming under greater scrutiny. But the fact is many of these undesirable issues arise not from the social media platforms, but by malicious users. The operators of these platforms are requested to deploy countermeasures, but Japanese telecommunication law prohibits operators from tapping or interfering with users’ communications.
To keep a moral and legal balance, Filii wants to give Japanese parents an option to protect your children using technology. The company plans to partner with local governments, schools, crime prevention organizations, and personal security service companies like Mimamorl.
Filii claims that its technology can work to help ensure the security of not only children, but also adults. For example in Korea, where the suicide rate is very high, data analysis company Daumsoft succeeded in developing a technology that can identify persons exhibiting suicidal behavior by analyzing their tweets or interactions on social media.
A’s Child was founded earlier this month by two engineers who previously work with a systems integration company. The startup is based out of Samurai Startup Island, an incubation space in Tokyo.
Yukari Mitsuhashi
Rick Martin
Takeshi Hirano
