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Cox Mobile Survey Says: 31% of Children Contacted by Stranger, Nearly One-Third Reference Child’s Location

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ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Mobile, Cox Communications’ mobile service available exclusively for Cox Internet customers, today released findings from its first survey, Generation Screen: Parenting and Mobile Safety. 

The survey uncovered an alarming correlation between location sharing and “strangers” communicating with kids and teens through their mobile devices. 

56% of parents said their children’s location sharing is turned on, making their location publicly accessible across several mobile apps. 31% said their children have been contacted by a stranger on their mobile device. Nearly one-third (28%) said the stranger referenced their child’s location. 

Despite parental vigilance, 73% of parents still say their children are savvy at hiding their online activity. One in seven parents even admitted to creating a fake social media account to keep an eye on their child’s social media activity. 

“Parenting today’s tech-savvy kids can be challenging. Many get their first phone between the ages of 10 and 14, much earlier than other generations,” said Mark Greatrex, president of Cox Communications. “While providing kids with greater access to technology enables many positive connections and benefits, the reality is that real dangers can exist just one tap or swipe away. As our customers’ trusted connectivity provider, we are encouraging digital literacy, educating families on the potential risks, and promoting safer, informed use of these incredibly powerful connectivity tools.” 

Cox Mobile’s findings complement similar stats from a 2023 research report conducted by Common Sense Media, a global nonprofit helping families navigate media, tech, and digital parenting, uncovering that these risks are especially prevalent among young girls. The 2023 Teens and Mental Health: How Girls Really Feel About Social Media report showed more than 50% of girls ages 11 to 15 were contacted by a stranger through social media apps. 

“Even the most safety-conscious parents can overlook features like location sharing, which in many cases is automatically turned on and can be confusing to turn off,” said Jill Murphy, editor-in-chief and head of distribution at Common Sense Media. “More intuitive app settings and parental education can help mitigate this silent risk for kids.” 

Some Good News
A large majority of parents surveyed said they prioritize their children’s phone safety and have frequent conversations about risk prevention. 

65% of parents discuss mobile device safety with their children several times a week. 75% check screen time and text messages daily to a few times a week, along with phone calls their children received (73%). 73% of parents are friends with their children on social media, and 64% interact with them through those channels. 

Other Key Findings:
Cox Mobile’s ‘Generation Screen: Parenting and Mobile Safety’ also found: 

More than half of parents believe the use of social media apps elevates safety risks for kids, yet 60% say their child has them on their phone. Cyberbullying is among the top three things keeping parents up at night. Parents are most concerned about their children encountering predatory or inappropriate behavior (39%) and content (23%) on their phones. 

For more data points from Generation Screen: Parenting and Mobile Safety, a Cox Mobile Survey, and tips and resources for parents visit www.coxmobilesafety.com

About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. As the largest private broadband company in America, we operate fiber-powered networks in more than 30 states, providing connections and advanced managed IT and cloud services for nearly seven million homes and businesses nationwide. We’re dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that make each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox. 

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SOURCE Cox Communications

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Melody Party Offers Over 20,000 Songs and Adds More Than a Thousand New Tracks Monthly, Enhancing Its Online Karaoke Experience

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October 27, 2026

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SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Melody Party is a music social app featuring a variety of activities, including Mic Grab, Artist Mafia, and Singing Battle. Through its online karaoke feature, SING A SONG, the app brings the traditional karaoke experience online, removing time and location constraints and offering a music experience that combines real-time singing with social interaction.

SING A SONG features an extensive library of more than 20,000 songs, with over a thousand new songs added every month. Its diverse selection includes popular K-pop tracks, classic Korean songs, and karaoke favorites. The feature offers a free-use model, allowing users to start singing their chosen songs without paying a separate fee. This helps reduce the time and cost associated with visiting traditional coin-operated karaoke venues, making it easier to enjoy singing as part of everyday life.

In terms of functionality, SING A SONG supports pitch adjustment and independent volume controls for vocals and accompaniment, allowing users to customize their singing experience according to their preferences. Users can also create online karaoke rooms, invite friends to sing together in real time, and enjoy voice chat and social interaction.

By continuously expanding its song library and offering diverse music-based interactive experiences, Melody Party continues to strengthen its music ecosystem. Through SING A SONG, the platform aims to create an accessible, highly interactive online music social space.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/melody-party-offers-over-20-000-songs-and-adds-more-than-a-thousand-new-tracks-monthly-enhancing-its-online-karaoke-experience-302920097.html

SOURCE Melody Party

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Drawing new strength from 20-year legacy, IAACA calls on global counterparts to join annual conference to fortify integrity

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October 27, 2026

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MARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), an independent and non-political anti-corruption organisation with over 190 member anti-corruption authorities (ACAs) worldwide, will co-host IAACA Annual Conference 2026 in Marrakech, Morocco next month together with the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong, China (ICAC) and the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption of Morocco (INPPLC) to chart a path for the global graft fight and explore cutting-edge approaches to tackle emerging corruption challenges.

Themed “Building on 20 Years of Legacy: Drawing Strength from the Past, Guarding Global Integrity for the Future”, the international event will not only mark the 20th anniversary of the IAACA, but also provide a dynamic forum for IAACA members to exchange insights and enhance co-operation.

Calling on international counterparts to participate in the conference scheduled for November 25, IAACA President Mr Woo Ying-ming, who also serves as ICAC Commissioner, said that “As the IAACA marks its 20th anniversary, the conference will bring together global anti-corruption community at a pivotal moment for collective action. I anticipate that the valuable insights and new approaches generated through the international synergy will chart a resilient strategic path for us to navigate integrity risks and draw strength from our shared legacy to guard global integrity for generations to come.”

During the conference, renowned international experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Basel Institute on Governance, the International Anti-Corruption Academy, and global anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies and institutions will shed light on harnessing artificial intelligence in the fight against corruption, safeguarding integrity within global climate and biodiversity frameworks and analysing global corruption measurement and systemic effectiveness.

Following the conference, the ICAC, the INPPLC, the IAACA and the UNODC will co-organise a training seminar on leveraging AI in combating corruption.

While the ICAC and INPPLC will share how AI and new technology can reshape the future of anti-graft enforcement and corruption prevention, the UNODC will provide a global perspective on using AI models in financial crime investigations and addressing the operational relevance, legal robustness and adaptability across jurisdictions.

For details of the conference and training, please visit:
https://www.icac.org.hk/icac/iaaca-morocco-2026/index.html

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SOURCE International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA)

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Viettel moves 100 million subscribers to home-grown cloud-native charging in three months – with zero downtime

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49 minutes ago

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October 27, 2026

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HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation (Viettel High Tech), part of Viettel Group, has migrated more than 100 million subscribers and some 5,000 tariff plans at Viettel, Vietnam’s largest mobile operator, to vOCS 4.0, its in-house cloud-native charging system. The three-month cutover ran on a live national network with no service disruption.

Replacing a charging system is one of the riskiest projects an operator can undertake, which is why many stick with legacy platforms. Viettel High Tech reduced the risk through real-time data synchronization, parallel running and a phased cutover, with instant rollback at every stage.

The project won the Telecom Review Excellence Awards 2026 prize for Best Technology Deployment in Asia, a first for a Vietnamese company.

What it means for operators:

Scale: more than 300,000 transactions per second at latency below 5 milliseconds, across 2G–5G and fixed services on one platformLower cost: up to 50% less hardware investment than the previous generation, by sharing infrastructure with the networkAgility: new tariff plans in hours instead of days, new features three times faster and deployments about 30% fasterResilience: two active data centers about 2,000 km apart and automatic recovery in under two minutes

Viettel High Tech developed every core layer in-house, from a telecom-grade cloud-native platform and NFV-MANO orchestration to real-time charging, subscriber and balance management.

“Passing rigorous tests of real-time self-diagnosis and self-recovery is what allows an operator to keep its promise of 24/7 service to customers,” said Luu Manh Ha, CEO of Viettel Networks, which operates the system on Viettel’s network in Vietnam. “Above all, owning the charging system means an operator is not dependent on foreign vendors – it safeguards digital sovereignty and preserves business flexibility.”

“The charging system is where an operator’s business strategy turns into revenue in real time,” said Nguyen Minh Quang, CEO of Viettel High Tech. “We believe vOCS 4.0 is ready to help operators worldwide capture the value of 5G and digital services.”

In 2017, vOCS 4.0’s predecessor, vOCS 3.0, replaced a foreign vendor’s platform for 90 million Viettel subscribers. Across both generations, vOCS serves more than 220 million subscribers in 11 countries. Viettel High Tech now offers vOCS 4.0 to operators worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/viettel-moves-100-million-subscribers-to-home-grown-cloud-native-charging-in-three-months–with-zero-downtime-302920106.html

SOURCE Viettel Group

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