Family Online Safety Institute

In addition to its public policy initiatives within the United States, Europe and the Middle East, the Family Online Safety Institute is also involved with wider International initiatives.

Policy Initiatives

Australia Seeks FOSI Input into Cyber-Safety Review

In June 2010 FOSI submitted comments to Australia's Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety, the Committee is conducting an inquiry into Australian children's online behavior. In their comments FOSI sought to highlight the benefits to children of Internet use, the potential risks to children, such as cyberbullying and sexting, and the excellent work that is being done by industry around the world. Throughout the submission FOSI emphasized the importance of digital citizenship and the online culture of responsibility, requiring all interested parties to work together, in order to keep children safe in a Web 2.0 world.

Download Australia Seeks FOSI Input into Cyber-Safety Review PDF

Digital Rights for Children and the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The 20th November 2009 marks the 20th Anniversary of the publication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Along with the optional protocols that have followed, this profoundly important document set the political, economic, social and civil rights that protect children worldwide.

The Internet and other digital networks afford young people immeasurable opportunities to learn, communicate, and develop their understanding of the world. However, young people are often the most vulnerable users of these technologies.

Many states and non-governmental organisations are to be praised for the steps they have taken to ensure that children have safe and meaningful access to the Internet, and for cooperating across borders to bring to justice those who might threaten or exploit them.

This petition calls upon the UN to work in cooperation with legislators and civil society around the world to examine and assess whether the Convention on the Rights of the Child fully addresses the needs of children in the digital age.

It would be particularly significant if this work could be completed for presentation by 2nd September 2010, the 20th Anniversary of the Convention coming into force. This day should be celebrated, and further measures to nurture and protect children would be a fitting and important part of that celebration.

Led by Derek Wyatt MP, this campaign is already well underway. Ed Balls, the UK Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has already pledged the UK Governments support. In a letter to Derek, Mr Balls said he was "very happy to offer to offer my support for your campaign and pledged to examine whether the implementation and reporting arrangements of the Convention....adequately address child safety online."

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two optional protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. However, much has changed since 1989, and we believe that this milestone gives us an excellent opportunity to look at the Convention to address the different world in which our children are growing up.

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) which represents many of world's leading Internet brands fully supports this campaign, along with many other organisations and individuals.

For more information go to: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm

To sign the petition go to: http://www.derekwyattmp.co.uk/news_item.aspx?i_PageID=117916

Download Digital Rights Brochure

Online Safety Education Initiative

FOSI and many experts in this field, believe that in addition to filtering technology, we need more online safety education to reach parents and children alike. What is also acknowledged is that there is a wide range of approaches, messages, curricula and safety tips available, with little or no evaluation of their effectiveness or relevance in our Web 2.0 world. This project, the first of its kind to be undertaken by the Family Online Safety Institute, will do a stock-take of what currently exists, what impact these programmes and messages actually have, and synthesize the very best messages and approaches and present these at our next annual conference.

With the onset of convergence and the explosion of new types of digital content devices and new meeting places online, such as social networking sites, the need for a new kind of approach to the issue of online safety is essential.

This project will address the growing concerns of parents and teachers alike about the harmful content and harmful contact that children are increasingly exposed to online. It is our hope that with a combination of tools and rules, children will be both better protected and made more aware of the many potential dangers on the internet. We have already held a series of roundtables this year as part of this important initiative.

State of Online Safety Report

FOSI's State of Online Safety Report presents an annual snapshot of this critical area in a variety of countries, covering:

• legislation and regulatory regimes,
• technology,
• public education efforts.

Our 2008 State of Online Safety Report is already available. (PDF)

Internet Governance Form (IGF)

This is an International initiative whose purpose is to support the United Nations Secretary-General in carrying out the mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) with regard to convening a new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue. The next IGF Conference is between the 5-18 November 2009 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Internet Governance Forum

FOSI Representative: Stephen Balkam & David Miles