MySpace Expands Safety and Security Product Features to Heighten Online Safety for Members; Leading Social Networking Site to Increase Protection for 14-15 Year Old Members; Adds Ability for Members to Set Profile to Private
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 12:00 CDT
MySpace.com, the leading social networking and lifestyle portal, announced today new safety and security features designed to offer increased safety to its growing community of members. These additional safety features include heightened security for 14-15 year old members, new options for privacy settings for all members, and restrictions on ad placements to younger users.
Directing all MySpace's safety and security policies is newly appointed MySpace Chief Security Officer, Hemanshu Nigam, a former Federal prosecutor against Internet child exploitation for the U.S. Department of Justice.
"With social networking becoming a mainstream platform for millions of people to connect with one another and express themselves, MySpace is committed to innovating new product features to heighten online safety, particularly in the area of 14 to 15 year olds," said Nigam. "In addition to technology innovation, MySpace remains dedicated to a multi-pronged approach that also involves education and collaboration with law enforcement, teachers, parents and members."
MySpace's new enhanced safety features include:
-- Heightened Security Settings for 14-15 Year Olds: Furthering efforts to create a well-lit place for teens to connect and communicate online, MySpace will now protect 14 and 15 year olds from contact from strangers, who are over 18 years old. This new feature requires all 18+ year old members to know either the email address or first and last name of members who are under 16 years old to connect.
-- Full Privacy Settings for All Members: MySpace members of any age have the option to set their profiles to private, allowing only friends within their private network to view detailed information such as personal interests and friends. In addition, MySpace members have the option to set their profile to restrict contact to members within their own age group.
-- Age Appropriate Ad Placements: In an additional move to safeguard and enhance members' experience, MySpace is improving advertising targeting throughout the site based on age appropriateness. MySpace will engage in targeted online ad placements in order to promote safe Internet behavior.
"We know that children can benefit greatly from being online," said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). "We commend MySpace for adding new safety and security features that will help provide protection to their youngest members, so they can have a safer online experience."
The efforts announced today are part of a broad effort at MySpace to help protect the privacy of community members and provide a safer environment for users to connect online. These safety features complement MySpace's ongoing safety campaign created to promote safer Internet practices. Earlier this year, MySpace in partnership with NCMEC and the Advertising Council deployed a series of national public service advertisements (PSAs). The PSAs, part of an ongoing Ad Council campaign, are running on News Corporation's broad network of distribution channels, and are designed to raise awareness about Internet safety and education.
About MySpace.com
MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering popular culture. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain in terms of page views(a), MySpace.com is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind. With more than 80 million member profiles, MySpace is committed to providing the highest quality member experience and will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off.
(a)Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, April 2006. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com.
Source: Business Wire
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