Opening Remarks by Kathryn C. Brown
Senior Vice President — Public Policy Development & Corporate Responsibility, Verizon
Delivered at FOSI's annual conference: "Rights and Responsibility: Child Protection in a Web 2.0 World, " Washington, D.C., 6th December 2007
AudioGood morning… Thank you, Stephen, for your very fine work and for inviting Verizon to participate today.
When the internet was created, it was made up entirely of a community of researchers and academics. The community had its own culture, expectations and rules.
With the advent of the world wide web, the internet has evolved to a global "space" where there are millions of communities. And, as we all know, that has changed everything-how people behave, how we communicate, and how we conduct commerce.
Andy Grove's famous quote back in 1999 was that all companies will become Internet companies-or they won't be companies at all. He was clearly right. Indeed, the same can be said for schools, hospitals, governments, and more and more, how we organize ourselves as families.
There is no doubt that the world wide adoption of the internet has been extremely liberating and beneficial. And with a million different communities there is a lot to explore and understand.
But like any place where humans reside, there are those who would do us harm.
Today, our focus is on safety…family safety …and particularly for kids of all ages…from two-year-olds to the 20-year-olds.
The line-up that Stephen has put together is the deepest and strongest I've seen anywhere on the subject.
We have some of the leaders of the net generation here today.
And we're particularly lucky to have a number of leading voices in government with us: Chairman Deborah Majoras from the Federal Trade Commission, Commissioner Deborah Tate from the FCC, Ambassador David Gross from the Department of State, and from the UK…Derek Wyatt, a member of Parliament.
So… When it comes to keeping kids safe online there are two imperatives.
One: we need to teach our children about the net. And we need to do it the same way we teach them about other things that require responsibility and care. Like driving a car, sailing a boat, preparing food, using machinery.
Two: just as we "parent" our kids on the other aspects of living in this world, our intervention has to change as they change and grow.
We have to control their environment when they are little and guide them when they are grown. And then we need to trust them to soak up what we tell them.
Permit me a story… I called my daughter-who is a college freshman at USC-the other night and told her I was going to speak to a large group about online safety.
I asked her what she knew when it came to online safety…how did she internalize what I had taught her.
And of course her response was, "Mom…what are you talking about?" Three thousand miles away and I could feel see her eyes rolling.
But with some prodding she said, "The same way I learned not to talk to strangers." So I asked her how that translated to her online world today.
And she said, "What did you expect, Mom? Every time I turned around you were emailing me some horror story about some young woman getting hurt."
Well. A little exaggerated perhaps (not really)…but music to my ears.
Of course, I can't be there to advise on every situation she finds online. So I have to trust that she learned the lessons I taught and now applies some common sense and judgment.
The research I've seen says the odds are in my favor. The percentage of kids who do risky things online is about the same percentage of kids who do risky things in other areas.
I'm looking forward to the session with Amanda Lenhart, in fact, to see what the latest research is indeed telling us.
But to be perfectly honest, two years ago I didn't understand how Facebook or MySpace worked…and frankly I wasn't sure what my kids were doing online.
And that's a problem. Folks of our generation don't know the online world very well yet.
We're equipped to teach right and wrong when it comes to smoking, or drinking or drug use because-more often than not-we've had some connection or experience ourselves.
Not so with the online world. We lack experience. As a result, we either learn just enough to frighten us out of our wits and make the net off-limits…or we underestimate the situation and let our kids roam around as they will.
We're here to do just the opposite. We're here to be shapers of the online culture.
Our primary imperative has to be safety. That's why our efforts at Verizon have focused on two things: educating kids and educating parents.
We are doing that in communities we all belong to: schools, PTA, libraries, even the Apollo Theatre in New York City where we hosted an event last month and 800 kids showed up.
And you'll find us online. Wherever we're selling products, devices or content to our customers, we're also helping to educate about online safety.
We feel a responsibility to facilitate this dialogue at Verizon.
After all, our networks are transporting the huge surge of digital content that people are using to make their lives richer and more productive.
Mike McKeehan from Verizon here is part of FOSI's leadership for a reason. Remember Andy Grove's line… and because the digital economy will flourish only if consumers can trust their online experiences.
Among the things we've done is worked to engage the community.
We've invited the public to come and discuss online safety in a series of regional "town hall" forums. Joining us have been leaders in education, business, law enforcement and organizations here in this room today.
So far we've held five of these events - in New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Tennessee. We've been joined by two governors and three attorneys general, parents, teachers and about 1,000 kids.
We have the opportunity to inform people about the tools available for folks to manage their online lives. And we get to listen to them, too.
One of the things we've heard is that technology can help a lot here. Indeed, we've found that a trusted rating system in combination with customer controls is something that Verizon users want.
So, we've worked to make sure that all the screens on which you get Verizon services-your TV, your PC, and now your cell phone-have meaningful parental controls.
We're demo-ing all these products on the exhibit floor today.
We recently introduced our Verizon Wireless filtering service. It's called Content Filtering. You can go online and set the level of filtering for Verizon content provided on the Verizon wireless network. Very simple to use…one click.
It's free. And the content is rated in a way that makes sense…age appropriate…similar to other entertainment ratings.
Brian Ashby from Verizon Wireless is on a panel this afternoon that will take up online safety in a mobile context. So I don't want to talk too many specifics here.
Suffice it to say, this product is first step. There's lots of content out there in the mobile world that isn't filtered. We're planning to become increasingly robust and sophisticated in the months to come.
From a policy standpoint, we're thinking hard about two additional areas that are worth everyone's attention:
First, kids have to be educated on what is safe, responsible online behavior. The Commonwealth of Virginia has the right idea as far as we're concerned by mandating internet safety education. More states should examine Internet safety curriculum throughout public schools.
Second, we need to continue educating parents about the tools at their disposal to decide what is suitable for their children. The entire industry should sign-up to help provide those tools.
The good news is that all of these issues are on the agenda today. This is going to be an exciting and valuable conference.
While we hear a lot about the "evils" lurking on the net, let's not lose sight of the fact that this one of the most exciting ways that human beings have established new communities. But we all have an essential role in establishing a safe culture where these communities can thrive.
Thank you.
