RealNetworks Adds Windows Support for its SAFR Facial Recognition Platform

RealNetworks, Inc., a provider of digital media software and services, announced the availability of its SAFR™ facial recognition platform for Windows. With support for Windows, macOS, and iOS, over 100,000 schools in the United States and Canada can download SAFR for free at https://safr.com/k12/. RealNetworks also released its Best Practices guide for using facial recognition technology to support safer K-12 campuses. The updates coincide with The National School Safety Center's annual Safe Schools Week.

SAFR utilizes existing IP-based cameras and readily-available hardware to recognize staff, students, and visitors in real time to help improve school safety, while simultaneously providing cost-savings and efficiency benefits, such as streamlining entry, record keeping, campus monitoring, and guest check-in.

"We're strongly encouraged by how delighted schools and their communities are with SAFR for K-12," said Max Pellegrini, president of RealNetworks. "Our highly accurate platform, which was designed for privacy, is part of a concerted effort to help make schools safer. With today's release of SAFR on Windows and our best practices overview, we're expanding the opportunities for schools to apply facial recognition more effectively and responsibly."

In observance of Safe Schools Week, RealNetworks published a Best Practices guide for using facial recognition technology in schools, raising awareness about security and privacy considerations associated with facial recognition technology.

"Facial recognition is a new technology for schools. Parents, teachers, and students have an interest in balancing privacy with security so we wanted to offer an introductory guide for schools to develop policies that meet all their needs," said Mike Vance, senior director of product management at RealNetworks. "Through our early partnerships with schools and school districts we've developed this set of key best practices for creating safer and more secure K-12 campuses. This guide delivers that knowledge to the public, for free."

There are six policy areas included in the implementation Best Practices guide: notice, consent, security, retention, transparency, and management. To read the full guide, visit [https://safr.com/general/privacy-by-design-best-practices-for-using-facial-recognition-to-support-safer-k-12-campuses/].

Each year, Safe Schools Week inspires communities to observe and reflect on how to create school campuses free of crime and violence to ensure that all students have access to a quality, safe education. RealNetworks supports this effort by offering free technology and resources to schools and communities.

SAFR is available for free to K-12 schools in the United States and Canada. More information is available on the website and through an online, free library of webinars at https://safr.com/k12/

Featured

  • How a Rural School District Enhanced Safety, Reduced Vaping, and Improved Efficiency by Modernizing Security

    As educational leaders, our primary mission is creating safe, productive learning environments where our students can thrive. Today, that unfortunately means addressing ever-evolving challenges that range from security threats to the growing epidemic of student vaping, all while managing tight budgets and (for many of us) geographically dispersed facilities. Read Now

  • Turning Surveillance Into Strategy: AI’s Role in Driving Proactive Security

    Video surveillance has long been part of the campus safety toolkit, indispensable for investigating security incidents after they occur and a valuable tool for proactive deterrent. Read Now

  • A.C. Camargo Cancer Center Enhances Security, Patient Care with Help from Advanced Video Surveillance

    A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, a leading oncology treatment center in São Paulo, Brazil recognized for its history of innovation, today announced that its partnership with Axis Communications has produced savings of more than $2 million over its first two years, all of which will be reinvested in patient care. A.C. Camargo has deployed more than 2,000 state-of-the-art video surveillance cameras throughout the Center’s corridors, complex care units, and parking lots, embracing a more holistic approach to security that emphasizes patient and employee safety along with improved quality of service. Read Now

  • 2025 Secure Campus Award Winners Announced

    Campus Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 Secure Campus Award winners. Twenty companies are being recognized this year for products that help keep education and business campuses safe. Read Now