Web Predator Bill ‘Well Intentioned’ but Dangerous

Parents can screen kids’ Web access at home but not at school or the library, Fitzpatrick said Mon. at an Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee field hearing in N.J. (WID July 11 p3). His bill would require administrators to block child porn and obscene visual depictions, with the FTC assigned to set up an online safety clearinghouse that would include details about networking sites. Under HR-5319, the FCC would have an advisory board to target sites that allow predators effortless access to kids.

The Fitzpatrick bill is “plagued with terminological inexactitude” and would put needless burdens on academia to show sites are being barred, Ranking Member Markey (D-Mass.) said. The standards HR-5319 proposes could be hard to define and enforce, he said, noting that the E-Rate program is there to enhance Internet access for poorer schools, not fight pedophiles. Some fear unintended consequences, Rep. Inslee (D-Wash.) said. One is that passing the bill could thwart school efforts to set up e-governance or community building sites, he said.

The bill is “well intentioned” but dangerous, Internet law pioneer Parry Aftab told the subcommittee. Every ISP and major entertainment site uses social networking technology or is eyeing it, she said. Enacting HR-5319 would force schools and libraries to block Yahoo, Google, AOL, Microsoft and other sites, Aftab said. Social networks and online communities are key to the Web economy; implementing Fitzpatrick’s bill would mean “turning off… the entire Internet,” she said.

Fitzpatrick’s bill ignores online communities’ value, said Beth Yoke, exec. dir. of the Young Adult Library Services Assn., calling it “overly broad.” The bill’s references to “social networking” describe virtually all Web- based applications used to communicate and interact, she said.

“Education, not laws blocking access, is the key to safe use of the Internet,” Yoke said, adding that HR-5319 “sends the wrong message at the wrong time… Why would we limit access to interactive Web information in the one place where students can use them safely?” she asked. Plus, many problems the bill claims to remedy already are addressed locally, Yoke said. HR-5319 “robs communities of that control,” she said.

But some back the bill, including Reps. Gillmor (R-O.) and Wilson (R-N.M.). Schools and libraries are “being taken for granted as a safe haven… free of illicit and illegal content. But that’s not the case,” Gillmor said. It’s “hard to raise G-rated kids in an R-rated world” and this bill would help with that task, Wilson said. The bill also was endorsed by Bucks County, Pa., Assistant Dist. Attorney David Zellis, who testified about fighting online predators.

Tex. Attorney Gen. Greg Abbott (R), who backs HR-5319, admitted some of it is too vague. Several sections -- such as one calling for barring sites that let kids “easily access or be presented with obscene or indecent material” -- could be amended by striking the word “easily,” he said. If the bill were passed as is, “we'd all spend years in court litigating what ‘easily’ means,” Abbott said.

HR-5319 is “a step in the right direction,” Committee Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.) said: “Schools and libraries that receive universal service subsidies have an obligation to ensure that their subsidized communications services do not become a hunting ground for pedophiles. If social networking sites are not taking the necessary precautions to prevent the exploitation of children, then, at the very least, Congress should prohibit the use of federally mandated funds to access Internet sites that put children in harm’s way.” Facebook.com Vp Chris Kelly testified, but Barton said it was “unfortunate” a representative from MySpace.com wasn’t able to attend.

Even without legislation, Internet safety advocates are helping bring about real change. WiredSafety.org, a promoter of safer digital experiences, recently teamed with comics giant Marvel to have superheroes educate kids about online safety, said Aftab, the group’s exec. dir. The debut Internet safety comic shows readers how Web predators can infiltrate PCs and wreak havoc by stealing people’s identities and posing as them online, she said.

Aftab’s group has set up a site for law enforcement -- cyberlawenforcement.org, or WiredCops.org. On it, trained volunteers help investigate and prevent trafficking in children, child porn, child molestation and cyberstalkers, she said. At authorities’ request, WiredSafety recruited teen volunteers to help police create credible online profiles to trap predators. WiredSafety also offers one-to- one assistance for victims of cyberabuse that may not reach the level of a cybercrime and so not qualify for handling by law enforcement, Aftab said.

New Safety Site Launches

Social networking interests Tues. debuted a nonprofit group for parents. BlogSafety.com -- backed by AOL, Bebo, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, LiveWorld, MySpace, Tanged, Xanga and SixApart/Livejournal -- said despite massive coverage of social networks’ perils, “there’s no need to panic.” But there is a need to “get discussion going,” the companies said. Created by founders of SafeKids.com and NetFamilyNews.org, the site offers expert advice plus an interactive forum for parents trying to help teens safely enjoy the Web.

“These companies have put aside their competitive differences to support an essential cause: protecting children through education and awareness,” said BlogSafety advisory board member and Mayo Clinic prof. Daniel Broughton. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) cofounder is joined on the board by social networks researcher Danah Boyd of U. of Cal.-Berkeley, veteran Conn. youth officer Det. Frank Dannahey and software pioneer Daniel Bricklin, officials said.

BlogSafety has high-tech news on kids and regular updates on expert advice, the site is “far more than an informational resource,” the companies said. It’s a forum where users can discuss the impact on kids of the user-driven Web and vice versa, officials said. “It’s a social network about social networking and family technology,” cofounder Anne Collier said: “A vibrant discussion is already under way with parents, teens and experts mixing it up daily.”

Besides financial support, sponsors are giving BlogSafety staff access to key support personnel so questions posted by parents in the forum get prompt, authoritative answers, said officials. The site is hosted pro bono by LiveWorld, which works with eBay, HBO and TV Guide to create branded online communities. Over time, the site will add blogging, polls and other social networking features, cofounder Larry Magid said.