|
|
Press Releases 2010
|
Piecing Together an Online Safety Plan
FOSI European conference seeks comprehensive approach
WASHINGTON - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today hosted Putting the Pieces Together: Building a Comprehensive Online Safety Plan, a European conference which featured Internet safety experts from across the globe who discussed key components of building a robust online safety plan. Countries all over the world see online safety education as a critical and significant issue, particularly as many are focused on increasing broadband access. The event was co-hosted by the Spanish telecom company, Telefonica and sponsored by AT&T, RuleSpace, and Nominum.
The conference consisted of a series of sessions moderated by Internet experts. Topics of discussion included: Online Responsibility and Safer ICT Use – Does the Self Regulatory Framework Promote 21st Century Citizenship?; Taking Control of Your Data – Staying Safe while Social Networking, Micro-blogging & Photo Sharing; The New Breed of Location Services – Privacy and Safety Concerns for Children and Young People; and How can We Better Promote the Safer Use of ICTs in Latin American Countries.
"In order to establish a comprehensive approach we need to incorporate robust industry self-regulation, effective tools, enhanced education and cross-sector partnerships," said Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI. "This conference demonstrated what can be achieved when all pull together to realize a culture of responsibility online."
"As one of the world's largest telecommunications companies with a presence in 25 nations, Telefónica understands the importance of promoting safe and responsible online use, especially for young people," said Julio Linares, CEO of Telefónica. "We commend FOSI's continued dedication to promoting this pressing topic at an international level."
"Making the Internet safe is a global concern and we congratulate and support FOSI for their global activities," said Dorothy Attwood, senior vice president for public policy and AT&T Chief Privacy Officer. "AT&T will continue to work with NGOs such as FOSI and other stakeholders to develop innovative solutions to keep our families safe in this new and exciting online world."
Julio Linares, CEO of Telefonica and Francisco Ros, Secretary of State for Telecommunications for the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade for the Government of Spain gave keynote speeches at today's event.
The European Conference was held at Telefonica, Auditorio Distrito C, Ronda de la Comunicacion S/N, Madrid. For more information, please visit http://www.fosi.org/index.php/events.html.
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer 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 Systems, BT Retail, Comcast, Facebook, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Time Warner Cable, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, 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, please visit www.fosi.org.
### |
|
|
FOSI Welcomes New Facebook Privacy Features
Facebook announces new tools to help users protect information online
WASHINGTON - Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), made the following statement in response to today's Facebook announcement to improve privacy features by arming users with new tools:
"FOSI welcomes the changes Facebook is making to better provide users with privacy settings. The new tools will offer users more control over their information and confronts the challenge between detailed settings and making options simple to use, a difficult balance. We appreciate Facebook’s continued dedication to empower users by implementing new options and tools."
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer 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 Systems, BT Retail, Comcast, Facebook, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, T-Mobile, Time Warner Cable, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, 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, please visit www.fosi.org.
### |
|
FOSI Co-Hosts the Middle East's First Online Safety Conference
Kingdom of Bahrain, FOSI lead Internet safety initiative in the Gulf
WASHINGTON - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today commenced the first conference dedicated to online safety in the Middle East in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In partnership with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain (TRA), FOSI is helping to ignite an online safety initiative across the Gulf region. The conference, titled "Creating a National Consensus for Online Safety" is the first of its kind and brought together Internet experts from around the world.
The conference provides an opportunity for the Bahraini Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to launch their initiative to create a 'National Consensus for Online Safety' with other high-level stakeholders in the country. This blueprint will spur others in the region to develop their own internet safety initiatives. Representatives from governments, policymakers, head-teachers, legislators, law enforcement, Internet experts and child advocates will be at the conference and will collaborate during afternoon workshops to establish the best ways of promoting the 'National Consensus for Online Safety,' using a self-regulatory environment that encourages responsible and safe internet use, preparing Bahrain and the surrounding countries for 21st century citizenship.
"Internet safety is a global issue and co-hosting an international conference in Bahrain to promote online safety is an exciting step for FOSI," said Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI. "We hope that this event brings about a heightened awareness for the many issues that families face online and provides a backdrop for an online safety initiative to spread throughout the Middle East."
"The TRA is dedicated to protecting our citizens on the Internet. By inviting FOSI to co-host this conference, we are hoping there is a new interest among our ISPs to make Internet safety a priority and that a subsequent campaign is launched that puts our ideas in place," said Dr. Mohammed Al Amer, Chairman and acting General Director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Bahrain. "This conference is a crucial first step and we hope it sparks an online safety revolution across the Gulf."
For further details and to see the agenda, please visit conference website at http://www.tra.org.bh/onlinesafety/. For more information on FOSI, visit www.fosi.org, the FOSI YouTube Channel, Facebook and Twitter.
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer 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 Systems, BT Retail, Comcast, Facebook, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Time Warner Cable, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, 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, please visit www.fosi.org.
### |
|
FOSI Applauds National Broadband Plan
FCC takes vital steps to connect children, educate parents and teachers on web safety
WASHINGTON - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) commends the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on taking steps to connect children to the Internet while also implementing digital literacy training as laid out in the National Broadband Plan released yesterday. The following statement can be attributed to FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam:
"We are greatly encouraged by the FCC's new plan that goes beyond the notion of connecting approximately 100 million Americans to making sure that we connect Americans safely. The FCC lays out important Digital Literacy training that will empower families across the country to raise good 21st century digital citizens.
"We applaud the FCC for making children's media issues a priority, especially as specified by last week's speech by Chairman Julius Genachowski that outlined the broadband benefits for families. FOSI is encouraged to see that the FCC plans to launch an interagency working group on online safety and digital literacy and host a summit this year that will focus on children and online safety issues, both initiatives FOSI has called for in the past. We also agree that hosting roundtable discussions throughout the year that bring together industry and government will help further develop the necessary policies for safer broadband use.
"We commend the FCC for a Broadband Plan that seeks to improve digital access, digital literacy, digital citizenship, and digital safety and look forward to working together to make the Internet a safer place for all families."
More information on FOSI's reaction to the National Broadband Plan can be found on The Huffington Post.
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer 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 Systems, BT Retail, Comcast, Facebook, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Time Warner Cable, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, 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, please visit www.fosi.org.
### |
|
Time Warner Cable Joins Growing FOSI Family
Cable giant signs on with Family Online Safety Institute to promote responsible web use
WASHINGTON - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today announced that Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), the third largest Internet service provider in the United States, has joined as a member and will have Fernando R. Laguarda, vice president of external affairs and policy counselor, serve on the FOSI Board of Directors. Time Warner Cable currently serves millions of customers in 28 states across the nation.
"FOSI works hard to promote safe and responsible online safety skills for families of all ages. We are very excited to welcome Time Warner Cable into our growing member base as we strive to develop effective tools, rules and educational programs in schools to make the Internet safer," said Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI. "We look forward to the valuable input and perspective that a company of this size and reach can offer and are eager to share our expertise and resources with Time Warner Cable in order to help them achieve their commendable online safety goals."
"Ensuring that our customers have a safe Internet experience is a top priority for Time Warner Cable," said Laguarda. "Working with FOSI will help us continue to create simple and easy ways to manage that experience, by providing families the tools that help them shape their own experience in the way that they see fit."
More information on FOSI can be found at www.fosi.org, the FOSI YouTube Channel, Facebook and Twitter.
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer 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 Systems, BT Retail, Comcast, Facebook, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Time Warner Cable, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, 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, please visit www.fosi.org.
About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., with technologically advanced, well-clustered systems located in five geographic areas - New York State (including New York City), the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California (including Los Angeles) and Texas. Time Warner Cable serves more than 14 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers a suite of phone, Internet, Ethernet and cable television services to businesses of all sizes. Time Warner Cable Media Sales, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions that are targeted and affordable. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmediasales.com
### |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 2 of 3 |
|
|
UK Registered Charity no. 1095268. | Terms and Conditions