[Hi all, the UK Govt has launched a campaign about the protection of
children on the Internet. Details below. There is also an accompanying
document, available for free on PDF at the URL immediately below. Best,
John.]
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http://www.wiseuptothenet.co.uk/ho_model.pdf

NEW DRIVE TO PROTECT CHILDREN ONLINE -
Reference: 001/2003 - Date: 6 Jan 2003 10:06
http://213.121.214.245/n_story.asp?item_id=325
Britain leads the way in the protection of children on the Internet today
with the publication of the world's first 'models of good practice' for
child safety on the Internet and the second phase of the 'safer surfing'
awareness campaign.
The £1 million advertising campaign will for the first time feature
television advertising and will run throughout January, supported by radio
and online advertising and sponsorship activity. It will encourage parents
to make sure their children understand the dangers of communicating with
strangers online and will equip them with the skills and confidence required
to address the issue of grooming activity with their children, without
demonising the Internet. 
The campaign will build on last year's success, which resulted in an 11 per
cent increase in awareness among children to not give out their personal
details online and a 12 per cent increase among parents of safety measures
for children using the Internet. 
Home Office Minister Hilary Benn said:
                "The Internet has opened up a new world for children which
is educational, informative and, most of all fun. But we are aware of the
potential for paedophiles to misuse modern technology to abuse the trust
that children place in them by attempting to 'groom' them through chat
rooms.
                "We want to encourage parents to help their children protect
themselves so they can surf safely. Parents can play a role in making their
children aware that strangers on the Internet may not always be who they say
they are. The messages to children are clear; do not give out personal
contact details online, and never meet up with someone you have met online
unless accompanied by an adult.
                "We do recognise that children can be tempted to give out
personal details online, and I am grateful to the Taskforce for producing
the good practice models so that the Internet industry can make chat rooms
and other services safer for children."
The Models of Good Practice have been written by the Government's Taskforce
on Child Protection on the Internet, which includes representatives from
Government, the UK Internet industry, the child welfare organisations and
the police. The Models give advice to providers of Internet content and
services who offer chat, instant messaging and web-based services. They
provide sound steps to follow to make their services safer for children. 
Nicholas Lansman, Secretary General of the Internet Services Providers'
Association (ISPA UK) said:
                "Just like the offline world, the online world has its
hazards. ISPA and its members want to make the UK Internet as safe as
possible for younger users. Our work with the Home Office has produced
another first for the UK Internet industry. The publication of this good
practice shows ISPA's and the Government's commitment to making the UK the
safest place for children to go online.
                "Furthermore, ISPA has worked together with the Home Office
on the safe surfing awareness campaign. The adverts are a valued
contribution to our members' ongoing work to educate parents and children on
safer, educational and fun surfing."
This awareness drive follows recent proposals outlined in the paper
'Protecting the Public', for a new offence of sexual grooming and a civil
order intended to protect children from inappropriate sexual behaviour by
adults.
Hilary Benn concluded:
                "Protecting children is a priority for us all. We are
determined that Britain will be the safest country for children on the
Internet."
Notes to Editors:
Awareness Campaign
The advertising campaign consists of television and radio advertising. This
will launch on 6 January and run until the end of the month, and is aimed at
reaching young people. Online advertising on teen websites and chat rooms
will run from 6 January to the end of March. The web site
www.thinkuknow.co.uk has been redeveloped and updated with information and
advice for young people who use the Internet.
Following the awareness campaign last year:
*       Over 70 per cent of children who recognised the ads or who used chat
rooms said they had been given advice 
*       Over 90 per cent of children who used chat rooms recalled this
advice 
*       Children who recognised the campaign were significantly more likely
to say that they had been told not to give out their home phone number,
mobile number and e-mail address. They were also significantly more likely
to have been told not to meet strangers met in chat rooms, unless
accompanied by a responsible adult 
*       There was a significant increase in the proportion of children who
said they were supervised by an adult while online 
*       Overall, the campaign did not change parents or children's attitudes
towards the Internet as a valuable educational tool 
*       There was an increase in the number of parents who said their
children were told not to give out personal information 
*       80 per cent of children and over 90 per cent who used chat rooms,
agreed the ads made them aware not to give out personal details.
Models of Good Practice
The Models of Good Practice focus on the areas of chat, instant messaging
and web services. Across all these services, there is a need for clear,
prominent, easily accessible information about the product offered and any
relevant safety messages and safety tools. 
The purpose of the models is to:
*       provide a framework of good practice to deliver a better and safer
service for users; 
*       help the industry to empower children and other users to make
well-informed decisions e.g. about disclosure of personal details and to
control their online experience; 
*       ensure clear information, warnings and advice, are provided when
needed and 
*       strengthen public confidence in the services offered. 
They are intended to be used alongside any mandatory requirements, such as
the code of practice relating to premium rate charged Internet content and
services operated by the premium rate regulator, ICSTIS.
Internet Taskforce
The Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet was
established in March 2001 in response to concerns about the possible risks
to children after a number of serious cases where children had been
'groomed' via the Internet. In the face of such concerns, the Task Force
brought together, in a positive partnership, representatives from the
Internet industry, children's charities, the main opposition parties,
government departments, the police and others who share the aim of making
the United Kingdom the best and safest place in the world for children to
use the Internet. 
A sense of shared responsibility underpins the work of the Task Force and an
acknowledgement that each of the groups represented has a part to play.
The Task Force set up a number of sub-groups to focus on issues around: the
criminal law, law enforcement, training, industry standards and
co-regulation, child protection measures and education and awareness.
Protecting the Public
On Tuesday 19 November the Government published its response to the sex
offences review (Setting the Boundaries) and the review of the Sex Offender
Act. The response took the form of a 'paper', which set out what will be in
the forthcoming bill. It can be found on
www.protectingthepublic.homeoffice.gov.uk
<http://www.protectingthepublic.homeoffice.gov.uk/>. 
The challenge of the Internet and child pornography
The Government has:
*       Continued to support the Internet Watch Foundation and the
development of its hotline for reporting child pornography and other illegal
material.
*       Increased, with effect from January 2001, the maximum penalties for
taking, making and distributing indecent photographs and pseudo- photographs
of children from 3 years to 10 years imprisonment, and for possession from 6
months to 5 years imprisonment (Criminal Justice and Court Services Act,
2000).
*       Increased the powers of customs officers and the police to
investigate the importation of child pornography (Criminal Justice and
Police Act, 2001).
*       Made available £25 million over 3 years from April 2001 for policing
High Tech Crime. This money is over and above normal police funding and
provided for the creation of a National High Tech Crime Unit as well as
supporting staffing, kills and equipment in local police forces. The Unit
and local forces have since mounted a number of successful operations that
demonstrate their enhanced capacity to deal with High Tech Crime in general,
including use of the Internet by paedophiles. The Home Office has also made
available an additional one-off payment of £0.5million specifically targeted
to help ACPO kick start their strategy to improve co-ordination and spread
best practice.
Internet Watch Foundation
The Internet Watch Foundation is a self-regulatory body led and funded by
the UK Internet industry and provides a valuable mechanism to help tackle
the growing problem of child pornography and other illegal content posted on
the Internet. Internet users can report illegal material to trained staff
who check its legality and inform the relevant Internet Service Provider and
the police who will take action to remove and investigate illegal content.
Any UK resident can contact the IWF and make a report by logging on to
www.iwf.org.uk. Over 30,000 illegal items have been removed by IWF action
since its inception in 1996.
ISPA
The Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA) was established in 1995
as a trade association to represent providers of Internet services in the
UK. ISPA promotes competition, self-regulation and the development of the
Internet industry. For a list of members or other information about ISPA,
please consult the website: http://www.ispa.org.uk
ISPA holds permanent membership of the Internet Watch Foundation, the
Internet Crime Forum, the Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the
Internet, the DfES Safety Strategy Group, EURIM, the Parliamentary IT
Committee (PITCOM), the Association of Communication Service Providers, the
Oftel Internet Forum, and international organisations such as EuroISPA, and
the World ISP Forum.
Published: 6 Jan 2003 

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