MXit calls for accurate reporting
MXit is calling on the media to stop misusing its name in what the company believes is a dangerous trend to sensationalise headlines.
The mobile social networking giant, with close to 15 million global users, is concerned about the ongoing misleading and inaccurate use of its name in media reports across all media platforms, including television, print and online. MXit is currently consulting its lawyers to determine whether the most recent example is a breach of the South African Press Code, or indeed if it amounts to defamation.
In the latest example, media reports claim that MXit is responsible for a teenage girl from Johannesburg disappearing for 48 hours after telling her school that she would not be attending classes. Her parents allege that she may have met someone on MXit. The school is considering disciplinary action on the girls return and although the case is being investigated, there is no proof that a conversation with an unknown person on MXit led to the girl’s disappearance.
MXit has contacted Parktown Girls’ High school, and a MXit representative will be speaking to both teachers and students about responsible social networking next week.
“We cannot condone this behaviour or attack on our brand and are simply calling on the media to be accurate in their reporting and headlining of stories. MXit is not the problem. We offer a system that allows people to communicate at a fraction of the cost of sending sms or voice calls. Our users send approximately 35 000 messages per second during peak times and the MXit community visits our platform more than 20 million times a day. Even if it does emerge that she accepted a friend request from a stranger, it is not fair to condemn a technology of close to 15 million users for bad choices made by one user,” says Juan du Toit, international marketing manager for MXit.
“Whilst eTV was covering the missing girl story during its newscast at 7pm on Wednesday, they flashed a web address for a European teen pornography site during the newscaster’s report. This is simply unacceptable. There is no connection between MXit and these sites and we are horrified that prime time news would even show a web address of this nature. Our philosophy is firm – we never promote or distribute any content that reflects any political, religious or pornographic view and even restrict advertising from popular consumer magazines that could be seen as even slightly “risky”. eTV’s actions were inappropriate and unethical,” adds Du Toit.
MXit has an obligation to ensure that its users understand that media reports are not entirely true in this case and has sent a message to its community which reflects the facts:
NOTICE: MXit SAYS NO TO POOR JOURNALISM! We condemn the unprofessional and sensation-seeking journalism displayed by e-TV and The Star newspaper this last week. Both news channels in some way blame MXit for the disappearance of the Parktown Girls High teen. E-TV ran this story Wednesday night, displaying a pornographic website as a backdrop to its news report – totally unacceptable as we will never promote pornography. The Star also ran articles that left readers believing that MXit is to blame. MXit is not responsible for the disappearance of this girl. We want to warn all users again to enjoy our technology with the necessary responsibility and level of maturity; and never to reveal personal information. We challenge both media owners to get these simple facts accurate, and to properly understand our technology. Can we trust what is reported?
“We take great care in ensuring that our users are consistently warned to use our network responsibly, to only accept contacts from people that they know and to never reveal their personal information,” adds Du Toit.
In addition to strict security measures for its users, MXit has also developed guidelines to help empower parents.
“We offer a technology that allows users to communicate in a secure and inexpensive way. Although we understand that technology is sometimes difficult for parents to understand, we believe that they need to take responsibility for teaching their teenagers how to engage responsibly on all communications platform. We have a chat room blocking feature that allows parents to shut down the chat room capability if they believe their teens are interacting inappropriately,” says Du Toit.
Numerous parents have downloaded the MXit application so that they understand the technology and therefore able to appropriately advise and guide their teenagers. MXit believes that this is the most sensible thing a parent could do. “Knowledge is power,” says Du Toit. “It is only when you understand something completely that you are able to use it to your advantage, and we urge parents to take the time to understand any social networking platform that their teens use.”
MXit on protecting its users and guidelines for parents:
MXit has the following security measures in place to protect its users:
- Moderators are on duty to respond to any complaints.
- MXit recently launched its chat room blocking feature that allows parents to block the chat capability on MXit.
- Users are encouraged to report any abuse they may have experienced on MXit. This can be done on MXit by sending a “.rat” command to MXit. This command gives MXit the authority to see the last 30 string of this conversation from reporting. A moderator will then investigate within 6 to 12 hours of reporting.
- MXit has a strict policy not to reveal personal details about its users to other users . Personal information can only be exchanged by users who delibralatey opted to do that despite MXit’s warning that it could be dangerous.
- Chat rooms contain profanity filters, and most are age restricted too. You can also set up your own chat room, and password protect it, so the only way that someone can gain access to a chat room is if the user invites them in.
- Every time a user enters a chat zone he or she is reminded to keep all personal details private.
- A user’s identity remains anonymous when he or she is in a dynamic chat zone.
- MXit suspends or bans users that abuse its technology and will continue to assist authorities to stop abusers of its network.
MXit has always stressed the importance of education and responsible online behavior in a technological advancing world. In addition to the safety regulations that is constantly reminding its users of, it has also developed a set of guidelines for parents, available on its website: http://www.mxit.com
Guidelines for parents:
Understanding the environment in which your child communicates is of utmost importance, so install MXit. You wouldn’t let your child stay over at a friends’ house without getting to know the family, so spend some time on MXit so that you understand where your child is interacting.
- Have an open and honest discussion with your child. Tell them about the potential dangers and ask them to tell you if they ever feel that someone is not who they say they are (teens are switched on to this).
- Allocate the amount of time your child can spend on MXit and use your mobile to monitor this.
- If you notice that your child’s time on MXit suddenly drops, check to see if he / she has a secret phone (it could simply mean that they are out of airtime, but check nevertheless).
- Check your child’s contact list regularly and follow up if with them if there is anyone that you don’t feel comfortable with.
- Constantly remind your child (every day if you need to) not to hand out their personal information on MXit.
- Tell your child that he / she should never, under any circumstances, agree to a private offline chat with a stranger.
- Help your child understand that they should never forward or post pictures that could cause embarrassment if passed on.
- If your child fails to heed your warnings and advice, simply install the chat room blocking feature. The educational route is advisable, as children will always find another way to communicate, whether or not on MXit.
Ends
Issued by:
FD Beachhead
Sandra Sampayo 079 167 6863 or 021 487 9000 sandra.sampayo@fd.com
