September 24, 2008

EIE President Participates in Fourth Internet Safety Technical Task Force Meeting (Sept 23 and 24)
 

EIE President Donna Rice Hughes Participates in Fourth Internet Safety Technical Task Force Meeting

September 23 and 24th, 2008

Cambridge, MA--On September 23rd and 24th, 2008 Enough Is Enough^® President, Donna Rice Hughes, joined Industry leaders and Internet experts at the Berkman Center for the fourth meeting of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force at Harvard Law School. The first part of the meeting, which was open to the public, provided members of the public with an opportunity to learn about the work of the Task Force, to explore the different technology-related problems and solutions under consideration, and to raise questions and share ideas. The day's agenda included over a dozen presentations of youth online safety solutions based on a range of technologies, including age verification, biometrics, filtering and auditing, text analysis, and combinations thereof. Participants also heard research perspectives that emphasized the importance of developing and implementing socially-based solutions and interventions that address the causes of risky online behavior among youth. Additionally, on Wednesday, September 24, participants listened to presentations by leading social network sites regarding the recent measures they have undertaken to make their sites safer for youth. The public portion of the meeting concluded with an open discussion of the technologies presented on the previous day.

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF) is a group of Internet businesses, non-profit organizations, academics, and technology companies that have joined together to identify effective tools and technologies to create a safer environment on the Internet for youth. It was created in February 2008 in accordance with the Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Safety announced by the Attorneys General Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking and MySpace in January 2008. The scope of the ISTTF's inquiry is to consider those technologies that industry and end users can utilize to keep children safe on the Internet, with the bulk of the Task Force's attention concentrated on issues concerning contact: preventing harmful contact with adults, preventing harmful contact with other minors (including cyber bullying and sexual predation), and identity theft. The solutions to be considered will include a broad range of technology tools and services. The Task Force recognizes also the importance of other solutions - such as social norms, law, policy, and market factors - and will situate technology-based solutions within the context of these other types of solutions. The Task Force will issue quarterly reports to the Attorneys General, as well as a Final Report on December 31, 2008.