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Symantec Joins One Economy to Bring Vital Internet Safety Information to the Internet’s Most Vulnerable User Base: Low-Income Americans

Symantec Joins One Economy to Bring Vital Internet Safety Information to the Internet’s Most Vulnerable User Base: Low-Income Americans

Published 07-11-07

Submitted by Gen

Washington D.C.- June 11, 2007- One Economy, a multinational nonprofit, today announced a strategic partnership with Symantec Corp. to provide vital Internet safety information to low-to-moderate income Americans.

The alliance ensures that consumers of One Economy's self-help bilingual portal, the Beehive (www.thebeehive.org), will receive access to user-friendly, interactive Internet safety content. All content is written at a 5th to 6th grade literacy level and designed with media-rich, easy-to-access modules that help new Internet users understand online risks and how to protect themselves. The Beehive's Internet Safety content is a national addition to the Beehive's existing online resources on topics such as money, schools, jobs, housing, family, and health.

"We are excited to bring Internet safety information to low-income Americans with the hopes to develop an early habit of properly securing computers," said Marian Merritt, Symantec’s Internet Safety Advocate. "As our economy becomes even more driven by the Internet, the necessity of proper computer and Internet security will only increase."

A recent report by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting illustrates that computers are now in 65% of low-income homes in America. These are among the most vulnerable users on the Internet, and also the group that receives the least education on Internet security. The goal of the section is to develop a savvy community of previously at-risk Internet users, who can use the Internet to better their lives without being defenseless against threats such as computer viruses, identity theft, and cyber bullying.

"One Economy has brought hundreds of thousands of low-income people into the Digital Age," said One Economy CEO Rey Ramsey. "We are pleased to be able to offer these new Internet users the tools they need to protect themselves online while benefiting from technology."

The new Internet Safety content provides valuable information in three main sections: family safety, identity safety and computer safety.

  • The Family Safety section provides information on keeping families safe from sexual predators, cyber bullies, stalking and harassment online, drug pushers and other inappropriate materials. It also includes a parent/child contract of rules to help set standards for Internet use in the home, as well as an "online chatting" guide to help parents understand what their kids are saying.
  • The Identity Safety section focuses on information such as pulling a credit report, safe Internet shopping practices, and avoiding predatory "phishing" for personal information.
  • The Computer Safety section contains tips on managing computer security settings and firewall, and avoiding spam and viruses.

    A Learn the Language glossary also allows new computer users to understand the terminology and information they receive. To learn more about Internet safety on the Beehive, visit www.thebeehive.org/safety.

    About Symantec
    Symantec is a global leader in infrastructure software, enabling businesses and consumers to have confidence in a connected world. The company helps customers protect their infrastructure, information, and interactions by delivering software and services that address risks to security, availability, compliance and performance. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in 40 countries. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

    About One Economy Corporation
    One Economy Corporation is a multinational non-profit founded in 2000 that uses technology based strategies to help low-income people improve their lives and join the economic mainstream. One Economy’s strategy brings broadband into the home along with online content through their bilingual consumer website the Beehive (www.thebeehive.org . Through its Bring IT Home campaign, One Economy has helped bring broadband into the homes of 200,000 low-income people. To date more than 10 million individuals have used the Beehive. One Economy recently launched a campaign to expand these online offerings by creating the Public Internet Channel and 24/7 Townhall. For more information, visit (www.one-economy.com).

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    Gen (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted Cyber Safety brands, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner. There's a new generation, and it's not Gen X, Y, or Z. It's Gen D: Generation Digital. Gen's family of consumer brands is rooted in providing safety for the first digital generations. Now, Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently today and for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy and identity protection to more than 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Learn more at GenDigital.com.

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