The “McGruff” character that warned kids to “take a bite out of crime” is now asking today’s youth to do the same for online criminals
In conjunction with Intel, McAfee, Verisign, and others, the National Crime Prevention Council is working with nonprofit marketing group The CMO Council to promote a “mass immunization” of PCs, the establishment of a educational web site, and the creation of a cadre of 20,000 “Junior CyberGuards” to help defeat online predators and other criminals.
According to Jennifer Heisler, who has managed the McGruff Network, the canine law enforcement
character will be used to highlight the dangers of viruses, online predators, phishing attempts, and other combinations of automated attacks and criminal online behaviors. The organization claims that 70 percent of all children online under age 14 are contacted by an online predator.
“We looked at it to bring the prevention angle to the messaging,” Heisler said. “There’s a lot of stuff out there, with online threats, as well as physical threats. We wanted to focus on the prevention side, rather than cleaning up afterwards.” She described the program as “taking McGruff to the next level”.
In October, consumers will be called to action to secure their PCs, in conjunction with security software vendor McAfee. Security software will be offered at discounts to those participating in the program, although Don Scott, the chief operating officer of the CMO, said the exact discounts have yet to be determined. McAfee’s SiteAdvisor will be available for free, he said.
The campaign is already being funneled through ByteCrime.org, an educational website that is already up in beta form. The site is designed to be a “robust information center” about threats in the digital world, Scott said.
Finally, 20,000 kids will be anointed “Junior CyberGuards,” training their family and friends in how to secure their PCs, and walking them through the steps to do so. No incentives are currently planned for the volunteers, although that may change, Scott said.
Intel is providing support for the initiative through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as reaching out to the Latino population. USA Today and CNET are contributing print and online ads, respectively. The program is still seeking more sponsors, Scott said.
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