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NetChoice Issues Statement on the Release of the Internet Safety Task Force Report

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 08:08 CST

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NetChoice today issued a statement in support of the efforts and findings of the Internet Safety Task Force. The Task Force, headed by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, focused on identifying effective online safety tools and technologies that can be used by many companies across multiple platforms. The Task Force is a central element of the Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Safety announced in January 2008 by MySpace and the Attorneys General Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking.

"The Task Force should be applauded for its extensive research into the risks our children face when they go online, and the myriad of potential solutions available. The findings show that social networking and content companies are already doing quite a lot to keep minors safe on their sites. They also show online threats from adults are not the only danger -- that youth-on-youth and offline conduct are also critical aspects of child safety," said Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice. "We agree with the Task Force's findings that awareness, education, and parental involvement are crucial to ensuring the online safety of our children. We also concur that, while a range of technologies can and should be used to keep kids safe, that there is no magical 'silver bullet' technology solution."

The report concludes that most kids respond appropriately to online safety threats, but that at-risk individuals are also out there. "Online companies will continue to help at-risk kids by implementing their own solutions, observing industry practices, and working with law enforcement," said DelBianco.

NetChoice has been a leading industry advocate for protecting children online. NetChoice has testified before multiple state legislatures, suggesting that education, empowerment, and enforcement are the key ways to keep kids safe online. In 2008, NetChoice worked with leading Internet companies to draft model online child safety legislation (http://www.netchoice.org/library/maiyn-online-safety-model-legislation-v2-6.pdf). Since then, states including Louisiana, Georgia, and Indiana have passed laws based on this model legislation.

About NetChoice

NetChoice is a coalition of trade associations and e-Commerce businesses who share the goal of promoting convenience, choice and commerce on the Net. NetChoice members include the Association for Competitive Technology, the Electronic Retailing Association, eBay, IAC, NewsCorp, Yahoo, VeriSign, and AOL. More information about NetChoice can be found at www.netchoice.org.

SOURCE NetChoice

Source: PR Newswire

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