A National Internet Safety Officer?
In the last couple of weeks there has been talk about the possible role of a national internet safety officer (not the official title). Basically, Mr. Obama (who I am so glad won!!) has already pledged to appoint a federal Chief Technology Officer when he moves into the White House next year. But the Family Online Safety Institute wants the new CTO’s office to include a National Safety Officer, who would work with a proposed US Council for Internet Safety to help keep kids safe online, and oversee a (requested) $100 million education program.
The NSO would also work with a new Council for Internet Safety that brings together industry leaders, nonprofits, and government agency heads to develop a coordinated strategy for online child protection. To further that end, the group suggests, the White House should also host an annual Online Safety Summit to review the progress of these efforts and set goals and benchmarks.
You can read more details below in the two stories posted… but the bottom line is that this is EXCELLENT! This country needs to change itself in so many ways… not the least of which is taking Internet safety by the horns!
But I think we need to be smart. We don’t need a national net filter, but we do need a .xxx domain for porn. We don’t need more research that never proves anything, but we need more resources and options for PARENTS to be in control. Education is one thing (and, yes, it is needed), but all the tips and advice won’t amount to a hill of beans if the parents don’t implement the tips and advice.
One thing they need is a concrete solution given to them. Don’t say “cheek out software to help filter and monitor,” say: “Check out PC Pandora. It’s a monitoring software program that will let you see what you kids are doing online.” That is concrete.
We are very excited about the idea of a national Internet safety program. We really hope to be a part of it. We have a solution for parents that really actually very much works! They just don’t know it. Maybe if parents KNEW what their kids were doing the cyberbullying would decrease and there would be no more victims of internet predators.
Wishful thinking… but the creation of an NSO may be the best place to start.
Online safety advocates are urging President-elect Barack Obama to put more resources toward protecting children from crime, harassment and predators on the Web.
In a report to be released today, the Family Online Safety Institute, a Washington nonprofit organization, is urging the new administration to appoint a national safety officer to serve under the chief technology officer, a position Obama has promised to create. The group is also asking for $100 million a year to fund education and research, an annual White House summit on safety issues, as well as the creation of a national council to coordinate efforts among federal agencies and advocacy and industry groups.
“We need to react more swiftly to the challenges new technology brings,” said the institute’s chief executive, Stephen Balkam. “We see a lot of activity in the industry and some agencies, but I don’t see overall coordination we can work off of.”
Protecting children and teens from the new dangers presented by the proliferation of social networks, blogs, instant messaging and cellphones is seen as a growing challenge. Officials cite incidents such as the case of the Missouri woman convicted last month for computer fraud for her involvement in creating a fake MySpace page to trick 13-year-old Megan Meiers, who later committed suicide.
Such cyberbullying tactics are just one type of crime targeting Web-surfing, text-messaging minors, online safety advocates say. Minors are also vulnerable to identity theft, exposure to inappropriate material and abusive messages.
Currently, much of the federal funding for raising safety awareness has been focused on law enforcement, Balkam said. The Department of Justice, for example, has developed instructional material. The Federal Trade Commission has created educational Web sites. Companies, including Internet service providers and social networks such as MySpace, have launched their own content filters and other safeguards to protect teenage users.
The Family Online Safety Institute’s recommendations are a step in the right direction but may not go far enough, said Nancy Willard, executive director for the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use. She said a national effort has to include teachers and behavioral specialists, rather than focusing solely on technology policy.
“Young people who are at the greatest risk online are the ones who are already at greater risk in the real world,” she said. “We have to stop thinking about Internet safety as a technology issue and recognize that it is an extension of youth risk behavior.”
Samuel McQuade, a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology who has studied cybercrime, said education is the key. Many young people, from first-graders to college students, are not aware of the information security risks of the mobile devices and Web sites they use every day, he said. Parents and teachers should also be taught responsible online behavior.
“Today’s under-supervised and under-educated kids are increasingly technology-savvy,” he said. “And they are growing up to become the next generation of managers that rely on these systems to protect the nation’s most critical information.”
Group wants National Safety Officer under new Obama’s CTO
By Julian Sanchez
December 12, 2008President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to appoint a federal Chief Technology Officer when he moves into the White House next year. But won’t someone think of the children? The Family Online Safety Institute wants the new CTO’s office to include a National Safety Officer, who would work with a proposed US Council for Internet Safety to help keep kids safe online, and oversee a $100 million education program.
The recommendations were issued at the group’s annual conference Thursday, in a report titled “Making Wise Choices Online.” As pointman for federal Internet child protection efforts, the NSO would oversee an Online Safety Program, modeled on the European Union’s Safer Internet program, devoted to funding research and education projects. Funded to the tune of $100 million per year for three years, the OSP would accept competitive bids from NGOs to raise awareness about hazards children face online and study the efficacy of different child protection programs and policies.
The NSO would also work with a new Council for Internet Safety that brings together industry leaders, nonprofits, and government agency heads to develop a coordinated strategy for online child protection. To further that end, the group suggests, the White House should also host an annual Online Safety Summit to review the progress of these efforts and set goals and benchmarks.
Somewhat unusually—though perhaps unsurprisingly, given that the FOSI is composed of and funded by major telecom and software firms—the report also pushes back against the alarmism and moral panic that often characterize discussions of kids on the Internet. The lascivious adult predator may have become a stock character in sensational news stories and reality TV shows, the report notes, but kids are far more likely to face such threats as cyberbullying by peers. And as a survey this week revealed, there’s a fair chance that any porn in Junior’s inbox comes from a classmate rather than some leering stranger in a trenchcoat.
Instead of treating child protection primarily as a law enforcement concern, the report suggests, the government should emulate the European model, recognizing children as active participants in Internet culture and ensuring that they have the skills to navigate online spaces responsibly. It also takes a few shots at the Bush administration for backing away from Clinton-era efforts on this score.
These recommendations, a cynic might note, dovetail with the interests of telecoms and online service providers who tend to be chary of regulation. But in a conversation dominated by To Catch a Predator hysteria, they provide some welcome balance.
