Web Safety Group Wants Changes From Obama

12-11-2008 National:

The Family Online Safety Institute, whose members include AT&T, Comcast Corp., Google, Microsoft, Verizon and other high-tech firms urged the Obama administration on Thursday ramp up government efforts to protect children on the Internet. The group proposes naming a national safety officer to serve under the yet-to-be-named national chief information officer within the White House; creating a U.S. Internet safety council; and establishing a federal program to fund a range of online safety research and education projects.

"We need a paradigm shift in what we do, say and teach about online safety," FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam said in a release issued in conjunction with the institute's second annual summit in Washington. "We look to the next administration to provide leadership and support at the highest levels to help make the online world a safer place for children," he said. MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam, who keynoted the conference, said FOSI's call to action "is opportune with new leadership taking charge of the online safety for our nation’s children in a Web 2.0 world."

Read more about FOSI's recommendations here. ..News Source.. by Tech Daily Dose