VeriSign Enables First Text
Message Based Police Tip Line in the U.S.
The Boston Police Department Launches a Program that Enables Citizens
to Report Crimes by Sending a Text Message
Mountain View, CA – June 15, 2007 – With more mobile users
relying on text messages to communicate everyday, the Boston Police
Department is launching a first of its kind text message based tip line.
The new Crime Stoppers tip line, designed by Hill Holliday and powered
by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of digital infrastructure
for the networked world, enables Boston residents to anonymously provide
information about crimes that may help police make their communities
safer.
The new Crime Stoppers program allows the Boston Police
Department to engage residents in a voluntary community-wide effort
to reduce the number of violent crimes. Mobile users in North America
currently send more than 650 million text messages each day, and according
to M:Metrics, the most active texters are young adults (ages 18 – 24)
with more than 70 percent sending text messages every month.
“The City of Boston is excited to introduce this new
and innovative approach to the Boston Police Department's Crime Stoppers
program. We are confident that the anonymity of the text function coupled
with the sophisticated outreach program will inspire individuals to
provide police with helpful, investigative tips,” said Boston Police
Commissioner, Edward Davis.
VeriSign powers the Boston Crime Stoppers text messaging
platform, provisioned the C-R-I-M-E short code, and manages the system’s
easy to use user interface. Despite its back-end complexities, for citizens
the system is as simple as texting the word “tip” to C-R-I-M-E (27463).
The information received will be channeled to a police
department interface. The VeriSign system masks all personal identifiable
information (e.g. mobile phone numbers) before sending any text messaged
information to the police department. Through the interface, the
Boston Police Department can immediately exchange messages with the
tipster to obtain information about the crime and the details necessary
to respond rapidly.
“The Boston Police Department has shown extraordinary
vision by taking a rapidly growing communications trend and making it
work for the benefit of their community,” said Oliver Holle, Vice President
of Mobile Applications, VeriSign. “Enabling secure communication is
one of our core strengths at VeriSign. We are excited to be a
part of such an innovative and relevant program, made possible by collaboration
with Boston law enforcement and Hill Holliday.”
”Hill Holliday was thrilled to work with VeriSign
on a critical initiative for the City of Boston and the Boston Police
Department,” said Thi Linh Wernau, Hill Holliday Mobile Marketing.
“We believe that mobile and wireless technology represent untapped potential
for communication between various audiences. We hope that this
initiative helps the critically important life-saving work of the Boston
police.”
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), operates digital infrastructure
services that enable and protect billions of interactions every day
across the world’s voice, video and data networks. Additional news and
information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.
Contacts
VeriSign Media Relations: Lisa Malloy, emalloy@verisign.com,
202-270-7600
VeriSign Investor Relations: Nancy Fazioli, ir@verisign.com,
650-426-5146
VeriSign Industry Analyst Relations: Katie Hammler, khammler@verisign.com,
703-948-4367
Hill Holliday, Corporate Communications: Greg Winter, gwinter@hhcc.com,
617-859-4179
Statements in this
announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results
to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others,
the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations
in quarterly operating results due to such factors as the inability
of VeriSign to successfully develop and market new products and services,
and implement price increases, and customer acceptance of any new products,
services, or price increases, including the price increases mentioned
herein; the possibility that VeriSign’s announced new products, services
and price increases may not result in additional customers, profits
or revenues; and increased competition. More information about potential
factors that could affect the company's business and financial results
is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2005 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes
no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after
the date of this press release.
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