NetSTAR

NTT DoCoMo, Inc.

In addition to the "i-mode Filter," a filtering service that restricts access to harmful sites such as dating sites and adult sites so as to allow children to use mobile phones with peace of mind, NTT DoCoMo offers a "URL-containing e-mail rejection setting" as a countermeasure against unwanted e-mail. These two services are supported by NetSTAR's URL database, which encompass not just PC sites but also mobile phone sites.

NTT DoCoMo Inc. (hereafter referred to as "DoCoMo") is an industry pioneer, for example commercializing mobile phone services equipped with i-mode, an internet access function, before any of its competitors. The increase in the number of minor users of mobile phone services such as i-mode increases has been accompanied by a rise in the number of crime victims and incidents triggered by browsing of dating sites and adult sites. As a countermeasure, starting in 2003, DoCoMo began offering Kid's i-mode (currently, "Kid's i-mode Filter), an optional service for minors that restricts access to sites other than i-mode menu sites, as part of efforts to address social needs for security. However, these days elementary schools increasingly put up their own websites, and in the case of filtering with blanket denial of access to sites other than i-mode menu sites, customer needs are not served, so URL filtering is now gathering attention as a new countermeasure. Starting in 2005, DoCoMo has been offering Kid's i-mode Plus (currently named "i-mode Filter"), a service for restricting access to sites falling under specific categories such as dating sites and adult sites. This service blocks access to sites such as dating sites and adult sites that are considered harmful to the sound development of minors, through filtering that uses NetSTAR's URL databases, while allowing access to sites offering useful information for life such as school websites. Moreover, as changes such as the cancellation of access restriction services or lowering the restriction level require parental consent, this service is highly praised and trusted by all quarters as a revolutionary service that can drastically restrict misuse of mobile phone sites by minors. Further, starting in 2007, DoCoMo changed the name of its "Kid's i-mode Plus" service to "i-mode Filter" to reflect further evolution of this service to answer a wider range of filtering needs including for example corporate customers wishing to reduce communication costs caused by unnecessary access by others in addition to minors. This new service is enjoying a very favorable reception. "Business needs for access management are greater than anticipated, and the majority of corporate contracts for the batch introduction of mobile phones elect to use the i-mode Filter." (Ito) Along with dating sites and adult sites, unwanted e-mail is a major annoyance for mobile phone services. At DoCoMo, in addition to original unwanted e-mail countermeasures, we started in 2007 to apply filtering using NetSTAR's URL databases, which we had used thus far for the i-mode Filter, to unwanted e-mails. This resulted in the addition of the URL-containing e-mail rejection setting to our service menu. Although initially we just thought about providing the URL-containing e-mail rejection setting as one of our unwanted e-mail countermeasure setting menu items, upon actual introduction, the effectiveness of this service was very clear to see, and since it was easy to set, we find it to be effective for promotion to customers who are not comfortable with handling devices, whose number is on the rise," says Inoue, attesting to a favorable reception of this service that went beyond DoCoMo's expectations. The reasons why DoCoMo chose to use NetSTAR are the quality and track record of its databases. Since before the i-mode Filter, DoCoMo used NetSTAR for blocking specific sites for its "mopera U" Internet service for FOMA, and the quality of NetSTAR's databases had been demonstrated. Regarding the provision of the URL-containing e-mail rejection setting, Ito says, "we selected NetSTAR based on its trustworthiness for mopera U and i-mode Filter. However, since there are unwanted e-mail specific URLs, we newly established the category of 'unwanted e-mail links'," describing selection and determination of categories according to the purpose of a service. The "i-mode Filter" and "URL-containing e-mail rejection setting" are both provided free of charge due to the wish for "peace of mind" striving to avoid having DoCoMo mobile phones be the cause of experiences with harm. However, "before, during consultations regarding unwanted e-mail countermeasures, we would have to provide guidance regarding setting contents such as individual reception/blocking setting, after having heard how the customer uses e-mail, now, we can just recommend the URL-containing e-mail rejection setting, says Yamada, expressing high regard for the effect on raising customer satisfaction. For DoCoMo, which attaches great importance to the "peace of mind" of its customers, both the i-mode Filter and URL-containing e-mail rejection setting services will see their importance grow in the future.

"We conducted thorough testing to ensure that top items appearing on multiple search sites can be 100% guarded," says Takashi Ito (Platform Development Manager, Platform Department, Product & Service Division). "Since we make 'peace of mind' one of our sales points, i-mode Filter and URL-containing e-mail rejection setting are both important services," says Akiko Inoue (First Security Promotion In-Charge, Contents & Customer Department). "Demand for the URL-containing e-mail rejection setting has been steadily increasing since its introduction," says Megumi Yamada (First Security Promotion In-Charge, Contents & Customer Department).

In order to maintain and improve filtering accuracy, NetSTAR operates the industry's first dedicated mobile phone site URL collection team. Full-time researchers working year round classify links included in e-mails through visual check at a URL Research Center equipped with mobile phones for monitoring purposes. Along with information sharing with the High-Tech Crime Fighting General Center of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the Nippon Information Communication Association, and other organizations, high filtering accuracy is realized by updating the database day by day, moment by moment.

Established in August 1991 as NTT Mobile Communications Planning Co., Ltd., the company currently deploys a wide range of businesses centered on a mobile phone business and PHS business. Based on the corporate principle of "creating a new age communication culture," DoCoMo actively promotes the shift of mobile phones from "communication infrastructure" to "life infrastructure," aims to further increase customer satisfaction through the provision of communication services based on the spread and growth of the FOMA service.

* Service names, the sections of the persons herein mentioned, their titles and other information are current as of the time of information gathering, and may have changed since.