Berkman Center To Lead New Task Force Comprised of Prominent Internet
Businesses, Non-Profits, Academics and Technology Companies
More Than 20 Organizations including AOL, AT&T, Comcast, Facebook, Google,
Microsoft, MySpace, NCMEC, Symantec, Verizon and Yahoo! Join Task Force
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Berkman Center
for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School today announced that it will
head a newly formed Internet Safety Technical Task Force. The Task Force,
comprised of leading Internet businesses and organizations, will focus on
identifying effective online safety tools and technologies that can be used
by many companies across multiple platforms.
"The safety concerns posed by the Internet are part and parcel of the
safety concerns that arise in human interactions in the physical world.
These concerns are not unique to any one service or technology platform;
they are shared by the companies that provide Internet services and the
individuals who use these services. We should work together -- private
firms, technologists, experts from the non-profit world, and leaders in
government -- to solve online safety issues as a joint effort," said John
Palfrey, Executive Director of The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at
Harvard Law School. "We are honored to assume the leadership of this Task
Force and excited to convene the broad array of interests represented by
the group."
The Task Force will evaluate a broad range of existing and
state-of-the- art online safety technologies, including a review of
identity authentication tools to help sites enforce minimum age
requirements. 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. Fifty Attorneys General adopted the "Joint Statement" with the
goal of improving online safety standards industry- wide.
"The Berkman Center's impressive research on the challenges and
opportunities offered by the Internet makes them the ideal leader for the
Task Force," said Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer for Fox
Interactive Media and MySpace. "We look forward to partnering with The
Berkman Center and the Task Force to identify the technologies and tools
that will be available industry-wide to provide a safer online experience
for all Internet users."
The Task Force will be led by Berkman Center Executive Director John
Palfrey, along with co-directors Danah Boyd and Dena Sacco, with support
from the Berkman Center's Digital Natives project team and Cyberlaw Clinic
and with support from Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser, Director of the Research Center
for Information Law at the University of St. Gallen. Members of the Task
Force include industry-leading Internet businesses, non-profit
organizations, and technology companies.
Organizations that have joined the Task Force include:
-- AOL -- iKeepSafe
-- Aristotle -- Institute for Policy Innovation
-- AT&T -- Linden Lab
-- Bebo -- Loopt
-- Berkman Center -- IDology
-- Center for Democracy & Technology -- Microsoft
-- Connectsafely.org -- MySpace
-- Comcast -- NCMEC
-- Enough is Enough -- Progress and Freedom Foundation
-- Facebook -- Sentinel Tech
-- Google -- Symantec
-- Family Online Safety Institute -- Verizon
-- WiredSafety.org -- Yahoo!
-- Xanga
"We believe in the power of technology, that is why we are so
enthusiastic about the new Internet Safety Technical Task Force," said
Ernie Allen, President and Chief Executive of the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children. "We are hopeful that together we can
explore and find solutions through technology that enable the expansive use
of the marvelous tools and resources available, while more effectively
protecting the children and young people who use them in such large
numbers."
"AOL remains a leader in developing innovative technologies -- such as
AOL's parental controls -- to protect children's online experience and
empower their parents," said Charles Curran, AOL's Chief Counsel for Policy
& Regulatory. "The Berkman Center's policy expertise will be invaluable to
the Task Force's evaluation of new online security tools and we look
forward to working with them to promote effective solutions for child
safety".
The Task Force will prepare quarterly reports with their findings and
present a final report at the end of the year.
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School is
proud to celebrate its tenth year as a research program founded to explore
cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development. Founded
in 1997, through a generous gift from Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the
Center is now home to an ever-growing community of faculty, fellows, staff,
and affiliates working on projects that span the broad range of
intersections between cyberspace, technology, and society. More information
can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.
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