First-Ever Online Safety & Security Education App Available on Smartphone Platform

Leading Internet and Technology Companies and Online Safety Advocates Launch App to Educate Users On The Go

Washington, DC – January 31, 2011 The Internet Education Foundation (IEF) today announced the launch of “Net Safety Tips On The Go” (Net Safety Tips OTG), the first-ever digital safety and security advice app for wireless users. Developed with the support of Google and Verizon, this innovative app makes it easy for consumers and families to keep up with mobile and online privacy, safety, and security issues using their Android smartphone or tablet.

The app dispenses quick, practical, friendly advice in easy-to-digest portions — one tip at a time — to help users use the Internet and smartphones safely. These tips offer information on mobile privacy and security, searching and surfing the Web safely, safeguarding your sensitive financial online information and more. The premier online safety education organizations in the world including Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely.org, OnGuardOnline.gov, and GetNetWise.org produce content to feed the app. Other leading online safety, security and privacy organizations are expected to contribute soon.

“Mobile broadband technology provides limitless opportunities for fun, education and entertainment for everyone,” said Rose Kirk, Verizon Foundation president. “To make the most of these opportunities, families need to feel comfortable online. Tools such as Net Safety Tips On The Go help provide families peace of mind, knowing they have the knowledge needed to be safe and secure in the digital world.”

Mobile app-based education allows busy people to be more personally productive during their hectic days making Net Safety OTG the perfect tool to educate them. “This app is a terrific idea, especially for people whose lives revolve around their phones,” noted Larry Magid, Internet safety pioneer and co-director of ConnectSafely.org. “Everything is going mobile, and now we have put crucial online safety and security education in the hands of anyone with an Android phone or tablet,” said Tim Lordan, IEF Executive Director.

Net Safety Tips OTG is available as a free download from the Android Market™ and is featured in the Verizon tab of the Android Market™ on Verizon Wireless smartphones. Visit http://netsafetyapp.org for more information, sample tips and download information.

Contact:  Tim Lordan
202-439-5688
tlordan@neted.org

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our kids are growing up in a culture that profoundly impacts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. We provide families with the advice and media reviews they need in order to make the best choices for their children. Through our education programs and policy efforts, Common Sense Media empowers parents, educators, and young people to become knowledgeable and responsible digital citizens. For more information, go to: http://www.commonsense.org.

About ConnectSafely

ConnectSafely (connectsafely.org) is for parents, teens, educators, advocates — everyone engaged in and interested in the impact of the social Web. The user-driven, all-media, multi-platform, fixed and mobile social Web is a big part of young people’s lives and this is the central space — linked to from social networks across the Web — for learning about safe, civil use of Web 2.0 together. ConnectSafely advises the Internet industry, other non-profits and government on best practices and policies. More at http://www.connectsafely.org

About GetNetWise.org

GetNetWise is a public service brought to you by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences. GetNetWise is a project of the Internet Education Foundation. More at http://getnetwise.org

About Google

Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.

About The Internet Education Foundation

The Internet Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and policymakers about the potential of a decentralized global Internet to promote communications, commerce and democracy. Projects include the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, GetNetWise.org and Net Safety Tips On The Go. More at http://www.neted.org

About OnGuardOnline.gov

OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. More at http://OnGuardOnline.gov

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee is pleased to report that even after 10 years of its release the COPA Commission’s final report to Congress is still being downloaded at an astounding rate – between 700 and 1,000 copies a month. Users from all over the world are downloading the report from the COPA Commission, a congressionally appointed panel mandated by the Child Online Protection Act. The primary purpose of the Commission was to “identify technological or other methods that will help reduce access by minors to material that is harmful to minors on the Internet.” The Commission released its final report to Congress on Friday, October 20, 2000.

As a public service the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee agreed to virtually host the deliberations of the COPA Commission on the Web site COPACommission.org. The final posting to the site was the actual COPA Commission final report making it available for download. In the subsequent 10 years it is estimated that close to 150,000 copies of the report have been downloaded. The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee‘s contribution to the COPA COmmission’s legacy is especially important since only handfuls of the original report were actually printed due to budget constraints.

Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee Chairman Jerry Berman served as a COPA Commission commissioner. Executive Director Tim Lordan served on a more recent Congressionally appointed blue ribbon panel called the Online Safety and Technical Working Group (OSTWG). That commission sent its report to Congress in June of 2010.

Tim Lordan, Executive Director of GetNetWise.org, discusses the availability of personal information at many sites on the internet. Lordan advises consumers to put some limits on “offline” information and how to protect themselves on social networking sites. The conversation with Of Consuming Interest’s Shirley Rooker is podcast on WTOP’s Web site. Visit WTOP’s audio center for a limited time to play the audio of the broadcast or download the MP3 from their podcast RSS.

On Thursday, March 12 members of the GetNetWise Advisory Board were given an advanced tour of the parental controls on Microsoft Windows 7, the next iteration of the Windows operating system. The tour included previews of how the new operating system would provide parents with choices for who their children contact and what content they view, among other things. Members of the GetNetWise Advisory Board routinely get together to share ideas about youth online safety and provide feedback to industry on how better to protect youth online.

Washington, DC – We were thrilled to hear on our evening commute that local radio personality Chilli Amar for Mix 107.3 lists GetNetWise.org as one of her favorite sites for “all you need to know about keeping the net safe.” Chilli also posted a blog about it on her blog.

The GetNetWise Blog is a new, periodic instructional blog dedicated to helping families and computer users make their Internet use safer and more rewarding. The GNW Blog will draw from the tremendous encyclopedic resources available at GetNetWise and provide actionable tips on Internet safety and security. The Blog will also present the many instructional Internet safety “how-to” video tutorials featured on GetNetWise with additional notes and context.

The Internet has transformed our lives and the lives of our children. The core mission of the GNW Blog is to empower users to harness the power of the Internet and provide them the basic literacy skills need to do so safely, privately and securely. The GNW Blog offers only help and instruction, not value judgments. We hope you will become regular readers and refer your friends, families and colleagues to the blog.

Please visit the GetNetWise Blog at http://www.getnetwise.org/blog/ that already contains two entries complete with video tutorials: the first one on using password protection in Apple OS X, and another on making social networking sites more private. Be sure to add our RSS feed to your preferred RSS reader.

New Poll Indicates a Majority Feel Social Networking Eroding Kids’ Respect for Privacy; Few Adults Strongly Believe They Are Cyber Secure.

Washington, DC, Jun. 12 – On the heels of the release of new Zogby poll data on Internet Safety, Congressional policymakers and members of the online safety community have formed a “National Partnership for Safe Computing” to promote better awareness of online safety and cyber security.

The launch of the National Partnership for Safe Computing will bring online safety advocates, educators, and industry, together with Members of Congress to engage Americans on the topic of online safety and security. This pro-active solution to online threats is driven by promoting and facilitating education for parents and families.  Speakers including Congresswoman Melissa Bean, Congressman Frank Wolf, and Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour from the Federal Trade Commission will make supporting comments for the National Partnership preceding the second annual Town Hall Open House in the U.S. Capitol.

“The Partnership demonstrates not only the leadership of the private sector but also those Members of Congress who have rolled up their sleeves to help Internet users and parents across America take control of their online experiences,” said Tim Lordan, Executive Director of the National Partnership for Safe Computing.

The Zogby poll results demonstrate that parents are concerned about the effect of social networking sites on their children’s privacy and illustrates some confusion on where to turn to for advice on parenting in the digital age.

Among the poll results:

* The poll information indicates that many feel that the Internet and social networking are fundamentally changing youth’s concepts of privacy. As social networking becomes further integrated into the culture of youth, the results of this are manifesting in the changing of social norms.  A majority (72.2%) of individuals agreed that the Internet, specifically social networking, is eroding younger people’s respect for their own personal privacy.

* While social networking may be seen as eroding youth’s respect for privacy, social networking is not without a possible positive role in safe computing. When asked where they would turn first to get information about Internet safety, more than twice as many parents responded that they would turn to friends (27.7%) over law enforcement (11.5%).

* Underscoring the emphasis for expanding conversations surrounding safe computing in the home, a majority of individuals (72.3%) indicated that their families have had conversations about the Internet and safety issues. Despite the fact that many have had conversations surrounding the Internet and safety issues, a smaller percentage (65.6%) feel that they are actually protected from online fraud. Of the 65.6% that responded the felt they are protected from online fraud, only 13.7% responded that they strongly felt this way.

National Partners for Safe Computing:

Honorary Congressional Partners
Representative Melissa Bean (IL-8)
Representative Frank Wolf (VA-10)
Representative Thelma Drake (VA-2)
Representative Bob Goodlatte (VA-6)
Representative J. Randy Forbes (VA-4)
Representative Mark Kirk (IL-10)
Representative Randy Kuhl (NY-29)
Representative Lamar Smith (TX-21)

Private Sector Partners
American Library Association
AT&T
Comcast
Common Sense Media
ConnectSafely.com
CyberSmart!
Federal Trade Commission
GetNetWise
i-SAFE
iKeepSafe
National Cyber Security Alliance
NCTA/Cable in the Classroom
Qwest Communications
TRUSTe
Verizon
Web Wise Kids

###
About the Survey:

The Zogby poll surveyed adults with children under 18 years old from 6/6/08 through 6/9/08 nationwide. It has a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percent. Communications firm 463 Communications helped conceive and develop the survey and the poll was made possible with generous support from Comcast Communications and Qwest Communications.

Yesterday National Public Radio aired a pair of very balanced stories on middle and high school students’ expectations of online privacy and attitudes toward safety. The pieces were very balanced and also provided parents help in dealing with their kids’ online experiences. The second segment of the show directed parents to GetNetWise.org for advice. Over the years we have spent a great deal of time addressing the issues related to the churning state of youth expectations of privacy. GetNetWise’s Social Networking Spotlight helps parents can learn more about making social networking profiles more private.

NPR’s Two Part Series:

* Digital Culture: Teens Take Advantage of Online Privacy Tools (6:37)
* Digital Culture: Teens’ Online “Friends” Often Number in the Hundreds (6:13)

We are pleased that the Telegraph, one of the UK’s leading news papers, has listed GetNetWise.org as one of it’s “101 Most Useful Web sites” this past week. In fact, GetNetWise comes in as number seven. This honor is similar to past acknowledgments by PC Magazine listing GetNetWise as one of the “Top 100 Classic Web sites“. We are delighted to share this recognition with our supporters, friends and colleagues.

On the policymaker education side of IEF Tim Lordan was asked by Federal Trade Commission staff to participate in a “roundtable discussion on phishing education” today, April 1, 2008. The FTC drew in experts on cyber security and consumer education for the event at their New Jersey Avenue meeting space.

Later in the month Tim Lordan will address the FTC’s “Mobile Marketing” Town Hall meeting on the topic of location privacy and safety. The Internet Caucus Advisory Committee has developed significant expertise in this area by looking at location issues since 2001. The ICAC hosted a major summit on the topic last year and is planning a follow-up location privacy and safety event this coming year.

Zogby/463 Nationwide Survey Exposes Americans’ Concern Over Kids’ Use of Technology Rapidly Evolving

Washington, DC, March 31, 2008 – A new nationwide survey shows that Americans have a growing comfort level with young people using Internet technologies such as social networking sites, chat rooms and email. The survey – conducted by Zogby International on behalf of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and 463 Communications – still shows large numbers of Americans concerned about the online activity of young people but those views are rapidly changing.

The survey compares results to a similar study conducted last year for the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee. In the 2008 survey, 27.7 percent of Americans said that social networking sites and chat rooms should be restricted to adults. Yet this was a dramatic decline from an identical 2007 survey in which 35.3 percent said that only adults should participate in social networking and chat sites. In contrast, seniors over age 70 still feel strongly concerned regarding social networking sites. The percentage of seniors who believed that children should wait until their adult years before chatting and social networking actually increased from 34.6 percent in 2007 to 38.3 percent in 2008.

More results from the surveys:

* The percentage of Americans who thought children should not have access to email until they were adults dropped from a sizable 14.7 percent in 2007 to an almost negligible 2.4 percent in 2008.

* The percentage of those who thought that children should wait until adulthood before surfing the Web dropped from 17.4 percent in 2007 to 4.2 percent in 2008.

“The survey results suggest that Americans are increasingly accepting greater use of new online technologies by our young people,” said Tim Lordan, executive director. “Yet the survey shows that it may take some time for many Americans to become comfortable with how kids are social networking and chatting.”

Despite an evolving comfort level with youth use of the Internet, the survey revealed significant concerns with social networking technologies. For instance, a significant majority of those surveyed, 63.2 percent, believed that children under 16 years old should not have use social networking sites and chat rooms. In contrast most of the major social networking sites today prohibit users less than 14 years old.

The 2008 Zogby poll surveyed 3,585 adults and was conducted from January 21-23. It has a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percent. The 2007 Zogby poll surveyed 1,200 adults and was conducted from January 24-26. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent. 463 Communications helped conceive and develop the survey.

About the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee: The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (ICAC) is a diverse group of public interest, non-profit and industry groups working to educate the Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues. The ICAC is a project of the Internet Education Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. http://www.netcaucus.org/

More about Zogby International can be found at http://www.zogby.com/

More about 463 Communications can be found at http://www.463.com/

For more information, contact: Tim Lordan, 202-638-4370 ext 323, tlordan@netcaucus.org