EU and Japan to make the Internet safer for children
May 04, 2012
Europe and Japan will work together on a strategy to make the Internet safer for children and teenagers.
The new strategy was announced by Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie
Kroes on Wednesday. On Thursday, she met with Tatsuo Kawabata, Japanese
minister for Internal affairs and Communications to discuss how the
European Union and Japan could collaborate on such plans.
Although the strategy is for industry self regulation, the digital
agenda spokesman said in an email that the European Commission would
intervene if self regulation does not deliver. However "a
regulation-only approach would fail," he said.
Apple, BSkyB, Dailymotion, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netlog,
Nintendo, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Vodafone have all
signed up to the initiative, which aims to improve content for children
and create a safer online environment.
According to the Commission, 75 percent of European children, a third of them on mobile phones, use the Internet.
Currently, different national approaches across the E.U.'s 27 member
states mean that children have different levels of empowerment and
protection online. With an estimated four in 10 children having
encountered risks such as cyberbullying, pro-anorexia or self-harm
content, giving parents and children the tools to ensure their
protection is a key part of the Commission's digital agenda.
The strategy also includes mechanisms to report harmful content and
conduct online, transparent default age-appropriate privacy settings and
the use of innovative technical solutions by police investigating child
sexual abuse material online.
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