Stansted’s free Wi-Fi to block inappropriate content

Stansted’s free Wi-Fi to block inappropriate content

Airport claims to be among first in UK to gain special accreditation

Stansted’s free Wi-Fi network will filter out inappropriate content to make it child-friendly.

The airport claims to be one of the first in the UK to gain special accreditation.

It follows parent company MAG signing up to government-initiated scheme Friendly Wi-Fi.

Venues displaying the Friendly Wi-Fi symbol have filters which deny access to inappropriate content, including indecent images and adverts or links to such content.

The standard was introduced in 2014 to ensure public Wi-Fi meets minimum filtering standards, particularly in those areas where children are present.

Stansted’s passenger mix differs from other large UK airports in that it reflects a younger demographic with 48% being aged between 16-34 years old.

With many young families travelling with children through the airport, the accreditation will provide extra reassurance to them.

More than five million passengers used the service in the past year, spending an average of 26 minutes online. Passengers using the iOS platform outnumber all other platforms by nearly two to one.

Airport commercial director Aboudy Nasser said: “More and more of the 28 million passengers we welcome to our airport every year choose to connect to the free Wi-Fi we offer, whether that’s to download a last-minute film for their flight, catch up on emails or say bon voyage to friends and family before they fly.

“As I’m sure many parents will appreciate, children also increasingly want to use their connected devices when they are at the airport and as a responsible airport operator, we know that it’s our duty to keep them safe online.

“Friendly Wi-Fi provides further reassurance to parents, and all our passengers, that they can browse safely.”