The power of the Internet to provide virtual interaction and
communication across the globe is unprecedented. With the advent of chat
rooms, blogs, instant messaging, and social network sites, people are
now able to reach all corners of the globe and this development has
positively impacted the world. However, even though the Internet as a
whole has had a positive impact on society, the increased use does come
with certain dangers.
These dangers are at the forefront of the minds of the high-tech
industry, parents, educators, legislators, and the community as a whole.
This portion of the AeA website is intended to help inform Internet
users of the dangers that lurk out on the Internet by providing
definitions, information, and resources to protect individuals from
online threats. AeA is fully committed to making the Internet a safer
place and is in the forefront for advocating legislation that protects
individuals from these harms.
Recent AeA State Government Affairs
Child Online Safety
Policy Activity
North Carolina Sexual Predator Bill
An expansion of pornography laws by amending certain definitions.
Critically and unexpectedly, the final version of the bill contained language permitting civil liability for social networking sites that failed to take "reasonable efforts" to block sex offenders from their sites. ...Read More
Florida Online Dating Safety/Internet Safety Education Program
The original bill required online dating service providers offering services to members in Florida to provide a safety-awareness notification containing information that includes a list and description of safety measures for online dating.
Also requires that the notification includes whether or not...Read More
Florida Protection of Minors Online
Requires Internet Access Providers to make available to Florida subscribers a product or service that enables the subscriber to regulate a minor's use of the service to access the internet if such a product or service is reasonably & commercially available for the technology used by the subscriber.
...Read More
Florida Public Libraries Internet Safety Education Program
Encourages Florida public libraries to adopt an internet safety education program approved by law enforcement to promote prudent online deportment and broaden awareness of online predators.
Requires libraries to report the number of users who complete the program.
Requires the Florida Division of ...Read More
Cyberbullying is the use of e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms,
pagers, cell phones, or other forms of information technology to
deliberately harass, threaten, or intimidate someone.
Cyberstalking is the use of
the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone.
Cyberbullying is often done by children,
who have increasing access to these technologies. However, it is by no
means confined to children. The problem is compounded by the fact that a
bully can hide behind an electronic veil, disguising his or her true
identity. This makes it difficult to trace the source, and encourages
bullies to behave more aggressively than they might face-to-face.
Cyberbullying can include such acts as
making threats, sending provocative insults or racial, sexual, or ethnic
slurs, attempting to infect the victim's computer with a virus, and
flooding an e-mail inbox with nonsense messages.
An Online Predator is an Internet user who
exploits vulnerable people for sexual or financial purposes.
Children and the elderly are most often the
victims of online predators.
A malicious or abusive attack on the reputation of a company,
individual, product, or entity is an act of defamation. Online
Defamation differs from the ordinary act of slander or libel
where an online statement is searchable, lasting, and widespread in the
public domain.
According to the non-profit
Identity Theft Resource Center, Identity Theft is
"sub-divided into four categories: Financial Identity Theft (using
another's name and SSN to obtain goods and services), Criminal Identity
Theft (posing as another when apprehended for a crime), Identity Cloning
(using another's information to assume his or her identity in daily
life) and Business/Commercial Identity Theft (using another's business
name to obtain credit)."
i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum
with dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers,
parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet
a safer place.
The Internet Keep Safe Coalition group
teaches basic rules of Internet safety to children and parents,
reaching them online and in school. Governors and/or first spouses
formed this coalition in partnership with a growing list of crime
prevention organizations, law enforcement agencies, foundations and
corporate sponsors.
The NetSmartz Workshop is an
interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Boys &
Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents,
guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate,
3-D
activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.
The National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children’s® (NCMEC) mission is to help prevent
child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children;
and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their
families, and the professionals who serve them.
INHOPE represents Internet Hotlines all
over the world, supporting them in their aim to respond to reports
of illegal content to make the Internet safer.
TrustedID is a leading provider of innovative consumer tools and
solutions to prevent identity theft. We have launched StolenID
Search as a free consumer-empowering watchdog service to let people
know if their data is safe. This service has been built
with feedback from industry experts, including
The Identity Theft Resource Center.
Web
Wise Kids is about empowering today's youth to make wise online
choices. Through state-of-the-art computer games - based on
real-life scenarios - and community and youth leader involvement and
parents, Web Wise Kids creates a safer, more friendly internet
experience.
Eric Ebenstein
Manager & Counsel, Domestic Policy
601 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Suite 600, North Building
Washington, DC 20004
P: 202.682.4439
F: 202.682.9111 eric_ebenstein@aeanet.org
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