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
Colorado: Using Text Messaging For Unlawful Acts
Adds telephone networks, data networks, text messages, and instant messages as means to commit computer dissemination of indecent material to a child, internet luring of a child, internet sexual exploitation of a child, and harassment. ...Read More
Texas Restriction on Use of Internet by Registered Sex Offender
HB 1239 by Aaron Pena (D-Edinburg) would:
• authorize courts or parole board to prohibit the use of the Internet by convicted sex offenders granted community supervision, deferred adjudication, or parole to access pornographic materials, access a commercial social networking site, communicate wi...Read More
Texas Restriction on Use of Internet by Registered Sex Offenders
SB 689 by Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) would:
• prohibit sex offenders on community supervision or deferred adjudication from using the Internet to access pornographic material or communicate with one or more individuals for the purpose of promoting sexual relations with an individual who is young...Read More
New Mexico Children's Online Safety
Prohibits communicating with another person through the use of an electronic communication device, without legitimate purpose and in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to feel threatened or intimidated or to fear for the person's safety or the safety of a household member.
Defines "ele...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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