Why do I need to detect pornographic content in emails?

The coming of the Internet has seen an explosion in communication, particularly in the form of email. It’s not uncommon for emails to contain sexually explicit image content and unfortunately for you it’s not uncommon for individuals to bring their email habits to work. Do you care if your people are sending or receiving sexually explicit imagery at work? Here are some reasons why you might:

To protect your reputation

Reputations are hard to build and easy to lose. Does your organization trade on theirs? How robust would it be to the news of a scandal involving the circulation of pornography around your network?

To exercise a duty of care

You’re a caring employer so you probably have policies that protect the workplace rights of vulnerable staff. What good are policies unless backed by the capability to detect breaches?

To be a good citizen

You probably have CSR initiatives. Is ignoring the transmission of pornographic material around your facilities compatible with those?

And if you're thinking that none of this applies to your organization then think about some of the recent scandals affecting some of the most respected and well-run organizations on the planet.

What does Image Analyzer Offer?

It scans all images attached to email - Word documents, PDFs, jpegs and even zipped up files - for the colours and shapes that typify pornographic content and based upon that analysis, it generates a risk rating. If that rating exceeds a pre-determined level, the software can take appropriate measures.

It stores every problem mail for future action, but it can also:

• Redirect the email (shielding the intended recipient from its content).
• Allow the email through but undetectably forward it to an administrator, supervisor or compliance professional.
• Allow the email through but notify sender and/or recipient of the potential policy violation.

These options can be combined in different ways for different people and the response configured to the precise risk profile and policies of your organization.