DENVER, Aug. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink,
one of the nation's leading technology companies, today announced a
partnership with Bark Technologies, an award-winning content
monitoring and screen time management service that protects more
than 5 million children and is used in more than 2,300 school
districts nationwide. The Bark/CenturyLink partnership will focus
on promoting Bark's online safety solutions to millions of existing
subscribers and non-customers alike.
With many kids heading back to school virtually across the
country, CenturyLink and Bark are reinforcing the need for a more
secure internet at a time when families need it most. Anyone
— not just subscribers — who visits the
CenturyLink website will have the opportunity to take
advantage of a 30-day free trial of Bark's signature
monitoring and screen time management service, followed by a 20%
discount for life on any of Bark's safety packages.
"We're excited to partner with Bark to provide online safety for
children and families," said Stephanie
Polk, CenturyLink vice president of customer advocacy. "The
service monitors texts, emails, YouTube and more than 30 different
social media platforms for signs of potential issues like
cyberbullying, adult content, online predators and more. Bark
is a safety net and an essential toolkit I use with my own
family. The easy-to-use parental controls manage screen time and
filter websites so parents can have peace of mind while their
children are online on any device."
Bark's artificial intelligence (AI) has been instrumental in
detecting issues and alerting families to numerous dangers
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a three-month period, the
company analyzed more than 600 million messages from the 30+ apps
it monitors and found a number of alarming trends in children's
online behavior. These stats include a 23% increase in online
predation, a 63% rise in severe hate speech, and an 11% jump in
messages with sexual content. Bark's unique design sends alerts
only when potential issues arise — without giving full access to
children's online accounts. This builds trust among families and
preserves kids' privacy.
"We are incredibly excited about our partnership with
CenturyLink," said Bark founder and CEO Brian Bason. "Not only will we be able to help
protect more kids online, but we are also giving families an even
greater level of confidence when it comes to parenting in a digital
world."
CenturyLink's expansive reach of approximately 450,000 global
fiber route miles, 170,000 on-net buildings, and 100 edge compute
nodes combined with Bark's extensive AI, will now help place online
safety at a level that is commensurate with their groundbreaking
speed.
For more information about the partnership, visit
www.bark.us/centurylink.
About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a
technology leader delivering hybrid networking, cloud connectivity,
and security solutions to customers around the world. Through its
extensive global fiber network, CenturyLink provides secure and
reliable services to meet the growing digital demands of businesses
and consumers. CenturyLink strives to be the trusted connection to
the networked world and is focused on delivering technology that
enhances the customer experience.
Visit news.centurylink.com for more information.
About Bark
Bark helps families manage and protect
their children's digital lives. The award-winning service monitors
30+ of the most popular apps and social media platforms for signs
of issues like cyberbullying, suicidal ideation, online predators,
threats of violence, and more. Bark's web filtering and screen time
management tools also empower families to set healthy limits around
the websites and apps their kids can access and when they can visit
them. After the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida, Bark extended its suite of
online safety services to all K-12 public and private schools in
the U.S. — at no cost to them or their communities — and is trusted
by more than 2,300 school districts nationwide. Visit www.bark.us
to learn more.
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SOURCE Bark Technologies