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Press Releases 2009
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Optenet Joins the Family Online Safety Institute
Multi-National Organization Pledges its Commitment to Making the Internet a safer Place for Children
Washington DC – June 9, 2009 - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today announced that global IT security company and provider of high-performance content security solutions, Optenet, is joining FOSI as its newest member. Optenet provides content filtering and online protection technology for organizations and consumers in Europe, Australia, and North and South America. In addition, Ana Luisa Rotta Soares, special projects director at Optenet, will join FOSI’s Board of Directors.
“Optenet’s international presence will increase the global reach of FOSI as we look to protect kids online across the world,” said Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute. “FOSI welcomes Ana as the newest board member who will bring a wealth of experience to the issues FOSI is currently addressing.”
In her position with Optenet, Rotta leads projects related to preventing children from viewing harmful and inappropriate online content such as pornography, racism, terrorism, drugs, bomb making, anorexia and bulimia, as well as other categories that parents or educators might find important to block. Rotta is also the secretary to the board of directors at Protégeles, an organization sponsored in part by Optenet and dedicated to running a hotline against illegal content, especially child pornography, on the Internet.
“FOSI and Optenet share a common mission that’s becoming more important by the day: to make the Internet a safer place for children,” Rotta said. “The sheer magnitude of inappropriate and harmful Web content makes it impossible for parents to single-handedly safeguard their children. Optenet is devoted to developing effective online tools which empower parents to safeguard their children from the growing number of illegal and harmful Web sites. Parents are, of course, ultimately responsible for what their children view, but they need the help of our industry to give them technologies that can make this a manageable task.”
Originally launched more than 12 years ago as an Internet service provider dedicated to creating a safer Web experience for minors, Optenet is now a Web content security vendor that brings the same filtering and security capabilities to service providers and enterprises across the globe.
About Optenet
Optenet is a global IT security company that provides high-performance content filtering solutions to service providers and large enterprises worldwide. Optenet’s technology protects more than 75 million end users around the globe, including the customers of many of the world’s leading ISPs and mobile operators, as well as employees of global enterprise organizations. The Company is a socially conscious organization, committed to eliminating illegal content on the Internet, protecting children and supporting government agencies and non-profit organizations that share the same goal. For more information, visit www.optenet.com.
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safe for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods that also respect free speech. FOSI’s members include: AOL, AT&T, Blue Coat, BT Retail, Comcast, Computing Technology Industry Association, France Telecom/Orange, Google, GSMA, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, Privo, Rulespace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Telefónica, Telmex, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon and Yahoo!. FOSI hosts an annual international conference to bring together Internet safety advocates from a variety of sectors, including global corporations, government, non-profits, academia and the media, to discuss the current pulse of online safety and emerging solutions that will enhance it.
For more information on FOSI, please www.fosi.org or www.youtube.com/fosi.
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Media Contact:
Maura O’Connor
June 1, 2009
(202) 572-6252 |
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Family Online Safety Institute Recognizes Internet Safety Month and Calls for a Culture of Responsibility
June is opportune time to educate kids to make wise choices online
Washington DC. – June 1, 2009. – In conjunction with Internet Safety Month, the Family Online Safety Institute today issued the following statements from FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam and FOSI Chair Brent Olson, Assistant Vice President - Regulatory Policy for AT&T, in an effort to show support for protecting kids online and to further build a culture of responsibility.
“With the Internet playing a vital role in the lives of many teens and tweens these days, it has become especially important to teach them to make wise choices online,” said Balkam. “FOSI supports Internet Safety Month and we hope that by raising awareness during June and promoting a ‘culture of responsibility’ where government, law enforcement, industry, teachers, parents and even kids themselves, all take part in establishing a safer internet, kids will begin to make wise choices online.”
“At FOSI, we are dedicated to working collaboratively and cooperatively with leaders in industry, government and the nonprofit sector to make the world safer for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practice, tools and methods that also respect free expression,” said Olson. “Since promoting online safety is our daily mission at FOSI, we look forward to Internet Safety Month as a great opportunity to highlight these issues for a broader audience and as a platform to encourage more awareness and education.”
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safe for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods that also respect free speech. FOSI’s members include: AOL, AT&T, Blue Coat, BT Retail, Cisco, Comcast, Computing Technology Industry Association, Crisp Thinking, France Telecom/Orange, Google, GSMA, Loopt, Microsoft, Mpower Media, MySpace, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, Privo, Rulespace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Telefónica, Telmex, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon and Yahoo!. FOSI hosts an annual international conference to bring together Internet safety advocates from a variety of sectors, including global corporations, government, non-profits, academia and the media, to discuss the current pulse of online safety and emerging solutions that will enhance it.
For more information on FOSI, please www.fosi.org or www.youtube.com/fosi.
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Media Contact:
Maura O’Connor
June 1, 2009
(202) 572-6252 |
Family Online Safety Institute Supports SAFE Internet Bill
Bill establishes Internet safety education grant program to promote safe and responsible online use
WASHINGTON DC. May 13, 2009 – Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), today made the following statement in response to the introduction of the School and Family Education about the Internet Act (SAFE Internet) introduced by Sen. Menendez and Rep. Wasserman Schultz:
“FOSI fully supports the SAFE Internet Act and applauds Sen. Menendez and Rep. Wasserman Schultz for their leadership on this issue. FOSI is dedicated to determining best Internet practices and to promoting responsible use online. This bill will help further deploy the much needed educational programs into our schools to teach kids to stay safe, make wise choices online and be better digital citizens.”
Stephen Balkam is the founding CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, a leading international organization on online safety. FOSI aims to identify and promote best practice, tools and methods in the field of online safety. The Institute is a trusted convener, bringing together the leading experts in government, law enforcement, industry and the non profit sectors to collaborate and innovate new solutions in online safety.
More information on FOSI can be found online at www.fosi.org and www.youtube.com/fosi.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Stephen Balkam, please call Maura O’Connor at (202) 572-6252. |
Wireless Online Safety Conference Says Education is Key in Keeping Kids Safe in a Mobile Environment
Washington DC. – April 22, 2009 – Child safety experts, policymakers, leaders in the nonprofit sector and the wireless industry joined together today at the Wireless Online Safety Conference, co-hosted by the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and The Wireless Foundation, to discuss the challenges kids face in a mobile online environment and the vital role education plays in keeping them safe. The conference took place at Wilmer Hale in Washington, D.C.
Throughout the day, expert panelists discussed topics ranging from tools and strategies parents can use to talk to their kids to wireless privacy and legal issues. Keynote remarks were given by Federal Trade Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and The Wireless Foundation President and CTIA-The Wireless Association President and CEO Steve Largent.
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Read more: April 22, 2009
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Nominum Joins The Family Online Safety Institute
Redwood City, Calif. – April 13, 2009 - Nominum, the leading provider of network naming and addressing technologies, announced today that it has joined the Family Online Safety Institute, an international non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods to protect children using the Internet. Nominum will also serve on the FOSI board.
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Read more: April 13, 2009
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