Tech Companies Outline White House Steps For Safer Internet

Posted by K.C. Jones on December 11, 2008 12:39 PM

Several technology giants have backed a plan to increase cybersafety. A group, whose membership includes AOL, AT&T, Cisco, Google, and MySpace, to name a few, has released a list of online safety recommendations for President-elect Barack Obama's administration.

The Family Online Safety Institute released the list Thursday as part of its online safety education report, which examines government and private Internet safety initiatives.

Its recommendations include: the creation of an annual White House summit on Internet safety, establishment of a U.S. Council for Internet Safety, and the development of a national online safety program to fund research, education, and awareness. Finally, the group recommends that the White House create a National Safety Officer position reporting to the nation's CTO.

"We need a paradigm shift in what we do, say, and teach about online safety," the group's CEO Stephen Balkam said. "We look to the next administration to provide leadership and support at the highest levels to help make the online world a safer place for children."

Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace CSO, called the institute "an unprecedented leader dedicated to working with those in the industry, government, and nonprofit sectors to get at the heart of the online safety issues."

Brent Olson, chair and assistant VP of public policy for AT&T, echoed the sentiment during the second annual Online Safety Conference, at the Newseum Knight Conference Center in Washington, D.C. He also said he looks forward to sharing ideas about online safety with the new administration and the new Congress next year.