Blue Coat's security app for Apple devices

WEB GUARD: The K9 Web Protection Browser
filters out web content that may be
inappropriate for young iPhone, iPad or
iPod Touch users.

Web security service provider Blue Coat Systems has launched its free downloadable app on the Apple AppStore.

Its K9 Web Protection Browser for iOS is a web browser for the Apple iPad, iPhone and web-enabled iPod touch devices.

The browser filters content that may not be appropriate for children like pornography sites, images of hate and violence and gambling sites and also protects users against malware and phishers, the company said.

The K9 Web Protection Browser uses the company's cloud-based WebPulse service that provides users with up-to-the-moment protection from objectionable web content and threats.

The WebPulse service also continually categorises new and evolving web content, giving parents the ability to immediately block objectionable material. The service is driven by the real-time web experience of over 70 million users around the world so that it can quickly find and identify new content and block the latest sources of objectionable content, phishing and malware sites.

Blue Coat claims that on a typical day, the WebPulse service identifies over 110,000 pages of new or previously uncategorised pornographic and adult content.

The K9 Web Protection Browser runs in place of Safari or other browsers that lack the content controls necessary to keep children and families safe online, Blue Coat said.