Emmanuel says:
About Emmanuel
Emmanuel’s career as a singer and songwriter spans over three decades. It began in 1976 when he won the prestigious “La Voz” competition. His first composition, “Y mis lágrimas bebí” was widely acclaimed, as were the hits that followed, including “Enredadito por tu cintura,” and “¿Qué sera?”
In addition to 7 gold and 2 platinum albums, Emmanuel has been equally active in social and ecological causes. In 2002, he began the Fundación Hombre Naturaleza, with its primary mission of promoting environmental conservation. Emmanuel was recently recognized by the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers for 33 years of social activism.
TIJUANA, Mexico — 31 March 2011 — Emmanuel, the celebrated Latin American singer-songwriter, has sold over 17 million albums and won countless accolades for his music. But the causes that drive him, including protecting children and the environment, have always taken first priority in his life.
For the past three years, Emmanuel has played a key role in working with a team of engineers in Baja California to make Internet browsing safer for children and families. The project stems from a shocking scene witnessed by Fermin Garcia, president of Sosvia, Inc., when his eight-year-old daughter inadvertently mistyped “Barbie” into their web browser.
“When she goes over the results, pornographic content starts coming up,” says Garcia, recalling the revelatory incident. “I just feel like: who is defending fathers like me?”
With 2,500 new, sexually explicit websites added to the Internet each week, the problem of offensive online content is growing out of control. Like Garcia, Emmanuel is convinced that online pornography must be combated, both with education at home and with effective technologies.
“So what is SAINT? What have we gotten ourselves into here?” he asks with his characteristic enthusiasm and grace.
SAINT is a project created by Latin Americans for Latin American families. In large part, this is what attracted the interest of Emmanuel, who has been active in its development from the very start. SAINT stands for “Safe Access Internet Navigation Technology.” It is an intelligent computer algorithm that filters out pornographic websites—as well as other potentially offensive Internet content—in real time.
Emmanuel is most excited by the software’s potential, because it not only blocks specific keywords or sites, it intelligently analyzes web pages to determine the actual content. That means that SAINT can understand which pages are designed for educational purposes, allowing children to study science and do their schoolwork effectively online. “Others, with sexual content, which take you to a pornographic site, it’s going to remove,” says Emmanuel.
SAINT is available for download from http://saintapp.com. It works in both English and Spanish, and is designed to be affordable enough for any family, costing just $1.20 (15 pesos) per month.
Ultimately, the goal is to make the Internet safer for children. Says Emmanuel, “It’s more than a product, it’s a cause.”
