SafetyWeb acquires Odojo for monitoring kids’ social network activity

SafetyWeb is acquiring internet security firm Odojo today as it tries to combine child safety and mobile security services. The move is part of an attempt to enable parents to monitor how their children participate in social networks.

Denver-based SafetyWeb acquired Odojo for an undisclosed price. SafetyWeb focuses on providing safety, identity, and reputation protection service for parents. Odojo provides firebreak technology, which allows parents to monitor their kids’ social networks for inappropriate content and leaks of personal information.

SafetyWeb launched in May, giving parents the ability to monitor social network activity in real time. It lets parents access its reports from anywhere, using any internet connected computer or phone. SafetyWeb recently raised $8 million in funding from Battery Ventures and First Round Capital, on top of an earlier $750,000 round.

SafetyWeb will use Odojo to add search abilities to its monitoring, allowing parents to monitor certain words on their kids’ social network pages such as “drugs,” “sex” or “suicide.” Odojo says it has a bunch of sensitive words in its database, as well as algorithms for sorting. That gives parents a deeper layer of analysis for spying on, er, monitoring their kids.

Mike Stemple, founder of Odojo, will join SafetyWeb as an advisor. The service will soon roll out features such as the ability to incorporate data from cell phones, game consoles, criminal background checks and geo-location services. The service costs $10 a month for the first child.

SafetyWeb was founded in 2009 by Michael Clark and Geoffrey Arone. SafetyWeb has 12 employees, while Odojo has six. Competitors include SocialShield and MyChild. SafetyWeb has more than 2,000 affiliates distributing it.