On the 32nd birthday of Polly Klaas, who was abducted and killed in 1993 in Petaluma, Calif., Polly’s father Marc announced partnerships between the KlaasKids Foundation and several technology companies to introduce new child-safety devices.
The first is a free online web browser by Virtual World Computing called Cocoon for KlaasKids. It is designed to protect the identity of children and allows parental control over which internet sites children can access. The CEO of Virtual World Computing, Vernon Irvin, explained, “We block their identity so they don’t know who the name is. We block the IP address. We block the location. We keep them inside of a cocoon.”
The second device is a smartphone application called Polly’s Guardian Angel. The application is a missing-child alert system that parents can use to report missing children. Anyone who has the application on his or her smartphone will receive an instant and virtual missing-child poster. The application is currently available on iPhones for $4.99 and will be available later this month for Android phones.
The third device is called the LEO Wristwatch made by Guardian Lion Wireless. The watch is a GPS locator with a titanium wristband that can be locked on a child’s wrist to prevent loss or removal. According to Klaas, “It’s a game changer because it’s also a programmable cell phone. This provides 24-7 connectivity to their kids.”
Klaas also announced a new fund, the Klaas Family Housing Fund, to help prevent families with missing children from losing their homes. “When something like this happens to your family, you don’t even think of trying to pay bills,” said Klaas.
Source: Sacramento Bee; KGO-TV