Kaspersky Lab joins forces with EU-funded project ENABLE, to tackle bullying and nurture IT innovation

With nearly a quarter (22%) of parents worried they cannot control what their child sees or does online, and nearly half (48%) concerned they may face cyberbullying, Kaspersky Lab has announced it has become an associated partner ofENABLE(European Network Against Bullying in Learning and Leisure Environments) and is supporting its Hackathon event in order to nurture youthful IT innovation and tackle the global issue of bullying.

The ENABLE Hackathon, which will take place on 13 October as part of European Coding Week 2015, will bring together 80-100 people, including young people, educational, children’s rights and anti-bullying experts and policy makers. The ENABLE Hackathon encourages young people, aged 9–17, to work in teams to design an app or creative tool, which will help reduce bullying. As associated partner, Kaspersky Lab will select the team with the most break-through technological solution against bullying, and award them with a trip to the Ferrari factory and museum in Maranello, Italy, to meet and greet a Scuderia Ferrari Formula One driver.

Janice Richardson, Senior Advisor at European Schoolnet, former co-ordinator of the Insafe Network and co-ordinator of ENABLE says, “We are excited to have Kaspersky Lab on board as a partner. The company not only has exceptional technical knowledge, it also understands the importance of reducing bullying – and cyberbullying in particular - across the globe. The event is about both. There will be six winning teams at the Hackathon and the competition is set to be high. We want to see the young people develop their online skills, whilst we help them understand the dynamics behind bullying and guide them as they work in teams to find creative solutions to stop it.”  

David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team, Kaspersky Lab says, “We are committed to making the Internet a safer place. Bullying – especially cyberbullying – is a very serious issue that has social and emotional implications. It is our mission to educate and support children and their parents in the fight against the threats they are facing online. Supporting the Hackathon provides us with another opportunity to do exactly that. Kaspersky Lab is also an official sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team, so we’re thrilled to award our fantastic prize to the winning team of young people at the event.” 

Kaspersky Lab regularly works closely with organizations such as European Schoolnet, which successfully fight against cyberbullying. In March 2015 the company organized a high level panel to debate the issue at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company has also committed to donating one Euro to the Insafe Helpline Fund for every Kaspersky Total Security – Multi-Device sold online in Europe during December 2014, with a guarantee to secure a minimum donation to field an additional 9,000 calls about online issues, such as cyberbullying and abuse, in 2015.

Find out more about Kaspersky Lab’s work to prevent cyberbullying, its partnership with EUN and its other CSR activities here: https://kas.pr/CSR_2014_eng

Learn more about cyberbullying, its prevention and reporting on Kaspersky Kids Safety portal.