A group of security industry veterans has bought the CyberPatrol parental control software product from security vendor Websense for an undisclosed amount.

The deal, announced Tuesday, has led to the creation of a new firm, CyberPatrol LLC, which aims to use its newly acquired censorware tech to offer "safe computing" to surfers of all ages.

Bob Bales, founder and CEO at PestPatrol, has become the chief exec of CyberPatrol. Fourteen other former PestPatrol employees have joined up. The acquisition was led by Bales and Philadelphia investor and entrepreneur Vince Schiavone, who becomes a board member of CyberPatrol LLC.

Websense acquired CyberPatrol software through the acquisition of the UK-based firm SurfControl in October 2007. This deal was, an enterprise play, designed to increase Websense's customer base and to enable it to offer an on-demand hosted content filtering service. CyberPatrol, a consumer-focused censorware program, wasn't strategic to that plan, hence the disposal.

CyberPatrol (the firm) said it will continue to support existing customers including small and medium sized businesses, libraries and educational users that use the technology to block access to "offensive and undesirable" web sites. ®

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• SurfControl dips into the red ahead of WebSense takeover (8 August 2007)
• SurfControl reforms on track (11 April 2007)
• Surfcontrol finding channel waters choppy (30 January 2007)
• SurfControl snaps up BlackSpider (13 July 2006)
• Soaraway censorware (5 August 2003)
• Web filters block health sites (11 December 2002)
• Websense hopes to filter more than just the Web (9 October 2002)
• The Cyber Patrol saga: you have your say (9 March 2001)
• Cyber Patrol bans The Register (5 March 2001)
• CyberPatrol censor-ware gives up credit details (29 November 2000)