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Phony Austin, Texas Police Twitter Account Highlights Need for Nixle, a New Secure Community Information Service

Posted on: Thursday, 9 April 2009, 17:15 CDT

More than 450 municipal agencies testing real-time, secure communications

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent problems Austin, Texas experienced with a Twitter account that issued phony police bulletins highlight the value of Nixle, a new, rapidly growing community information service.

Last week alone, Nixle received more than 450 requests from municipal police departments, fire departments and local government agencies in more than 35 states to gain secure access for testing and use of the new trusted communication platform. The service has only been available for several weeks.

Nixle offers municipal agencies a safe, trusted way to communicate with their local community over text messaging, e-mail and Web at no cost. The service is the first of its kind.

The City of Austin isn't the only entity dealing with impersonators. Then President-Elect Barack Obama's social networking account was hacked. The same thing happened to pop singer Britney Spears, CNN anchor Rick Sanchez and actor Ewan McGregor.

"The reason Scottsdale is switching from Twitter to Nixle as its public communication platform, is because if something does go wrong and someone does create an imposter Scottsdale Twitter account, they have no ability to correct the situation," said Sgt. Mark Clark of the Scottsdale Police Department. "Nixle is not one of these social blogs that are being used in inappropriate ways. It is an authenticated and trusted way for us to keep in constant contact with our residents."

Dave Mitchell, former Chief of Police of Prince Georges County, Maryland police department and a core facility member of the Johns Hopkins University Public Safety Executive Leadership Program said, "Hands down, Nixle is the winner when it comes to publishing trusted information to our communities because it is secure and shelf ready."

The Nixle platform was built exclusively to provide trusted and reliable communications for communities throughout the United States. Its authenticated service connects police departments, municipal agencies and established community organizations to residents in real time, delivering information immediately to geographically targeted consumers over their cell phones (via text messages), through e-mails and Web access.

"The situation in Austin points to the all-important need for security. About 450 people were following the 'Austin PD' page on Twitter," Nixle Founder and CEO Craig Mitnick said. "Social networking sites have changed the way family and friends connect, but they were never built on a secure and authenticated platform and were never meant to deliver trusted public safety information."

Nixle's security is bolstered by agreements with Verisign, Nlets (the International Justice and Public Safety Network) and the National Conference of Mayors.

Aside from the security measure, another key feature of Nixle is its geographical targeting. This allows information to be disseminated to any point or address in a desired geographic area. That same proprietary technology is available to consumers, so the most relevant information reaches the targeted individuals. And residents have the ability to decide what information they wish to receive.

"Thanks to Nixle, our residents know what's happening in their city -- from local emergencies and traffic advisories to upcoming cultural events and public workshops. And they get their information instantly," Chula Vista (Calif.) Mayor Cheryl Cox said.

About Nixle

Nixle is a community information service provider built exclusively to provide secure and reliable communications. It is the first authenticated and secure service that connects municipal agencies and community organizations to residents in real time, delivering information to geographically targeted consumers over their cell phones (via text messages), through e-mails and via Web access. Nixle has secured a partnership with Nlets (the International Justice and Public Safety Network), allowing local police departments nationwide to send immediate alerts and advisories. Privately funded Nixle, which has offices in New Jersey and California, is free to all governments, their agencies and organizations, nongovernmental organizations and consumers. For more information, visit www.nixle.com.

SOURCE Nixle

Source: PR Newswire

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