Family Online Safety Institute

The Family Online Safety Institute board, comprising of representatives from some of the world's largest and innovative technology corporations, is committed to pursuing an effective and proactive public policy agenda. It believes that family online safety is a key priority if the Internet is to be successful and realize its true potential.

To support its membership and to create a coherent agenda, an advisory board of experts, drawn from the wider stakeholder community, ensures that the Institute is able to respond to an increasingly convergent digital world.

The Institute believes that comprehensive industry self-regulation, coupled with reasonable government oversight and support, creates an ideal environment in which thought leaders can exchange information, develop ideas and refine solutions. Through its events, public policy and education activities, FOSI continues to address the challenge of family online safety.

With offices in Washington DC, The Family Online Safety Institute has been at the heart of the child safety debate in the United States for over a decade. Its membership includes some of the world's largest and most innovative corporations of the Internet age. Together with leaders in government, industry and the non-profit sectors we collaborate and seek to find innovate new solutions in child safety in an increasingly Web 2.0 world.

FOSI promotes dialogue on child protection and actively engages with those that seek to make the Internet a safer place. Take a look at Stephen Balkam fascinating interview with FCC Commissioner Adelstein. Go the FOSI's own YouTube Channel to Learn More

Policy Initiatives

FOSI Comments on FCC's Notice of Inquiry in MB Docket No. 09-194

On February 24, 2010, FOSI filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the Notice of Inquiry in MB Docket No. 09-194 - In the Matter of Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape.

The FCC was looking for a wide range of information including: the benefits and risks of media use for kids, how parents can get more involved, what industry is doing to increase parental awareness of online safety, information on media literacy, and information on coordinating government efforts in this field.

FOSI's document highlights a few of the many efforts by industry to help parents and kids stay safe online. FOSI also suggests a need for more digital and media literacy, as well as incorporating broadband responsibility with broadband deployment efforts.

View the PDF document

PointSmart.Click Safe: Task Force Recommendations for best practice for online safety

In June 2008 a diverse group of representatives from technology companies, child advocacy and parents' groups, educators, health researchers and policymakers gathered in Washington, DC to begin work on a set of recommendations for best practices that participants in the Internet industry could adopt to help keep children safe and smart when online. The result of the year-long effort is the report PointSmart.ClickSafe: Task Force Recommendations for Best Practices for Online Safety and Literacy. The Family Online Safety Institute played a key role in crafting the final resport. Learn more

FOSI Representative: Stephen Balkam

FOSI Comments on FCC’s Notice of Inquiry on Parental Control Technologies

On April 16, 2009, FOSI filed comments (see PDF link below) with the FCC in response to a Notice of Inquiry issued on the existence, availability and use of parental control tools and initiatives. FOSI’s comments highlight the various tools and initiatives available in the United States today to keep kids safe online.

View PDF of these comments

Making Wise Choices Online Report

In 2008 the Family Online Safety Institute took the initiative to examine the current state of online safety education by holding three roundtable discussions with leaders in the field. Members of industry, government and nonprofit organizations came together to discuss the underlying trends and emerging issues with online safety and developed proposals on how to solve them. The roundtables were held at the National Cable Television (NCTA) in Washington, D.C., the Oxford Internet Institute in England and at Google’s Mountain View campus. Based on these off-the-record conversations held at each roundtable, with governments leaders, industry experts, academics and online safety experts, FOSI has put together this report and recommendations to the next U.S. Administration.

Download the Making Wise Choices Online Report

Internet Safety Technical Taskforce (ISTTF)

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF) is a group of Internet businesses, non-profit organizations, academics, and technology companies that have joined together to identify effective tools and technologies to create a safer environment on the Internet for youth. It was created in February 2008 in accordance with the "Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Safety" announced by the Attorneys General Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking and MySpace in January 2008. The Task Force submitted its Final Report to the Attorneys General in December, 2008. To download theFinal Reportgo to: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/isttf

A key component and input to the task force came fromhe Research Advisory Board (RAB). This comprised of scholars and researchers whose research addresses children’s online safety. The RAB was constructed to help the Task Force develop a rich understanding of what is currently known about online safety issues with respect to youth. Members of the RAB were selected based on their longstanding, ongoing, and original contributions to this field of research. All members of the RAB are U.S.-based and do research with U.S. populations, although they consulted with scholars from outside of the U.S. as well. The RABwas chaired by danah boyd, one of the Task Force's co-directors and a scholar in this area. To learn more go to: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/isttf/RAB

FOSI Representative: Stephen Balkam

The Family Online Institute has been at the heart of European efforts the make the Internet a safer place for families for over a decade. Many of our most influential members are amongst the largest online players in the region and as well as offices in the United Kingdom we have points-of-presence in Austria, Germany and Spain.

Our active involvement with the European Commission and the efforts of many individual countries to make the Internet safer is reflected in our participation in a wide range of initiatives.

Policy Initiatives

European Union Safer Internet Plus Programme

The Internet and other online technologies should be as safe as possible, particularly for children. The Safer Internet plus Programme aims to protect online environments from illegal and harmful online content, which ranges from racism and bullying to child pornography and child grooming. From 2005 to 2008, the European Union will have already spent more than €45 million to make the Internet a safer place, and in October of this year the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, extended the programme for a further five years to 2013, as well approving a new and increased budget of €55 million.

The Family Online Safety Institute has actively participated in the Safer Internet plus Programme for many years. It’s most recent public submission and presentations at the Safer Internet Forum in Luxembourg on 26/26 September 2008 are below: 

• FOSI Public Submission and response to The European Consultation on Age Verification, Cross Media Rating and Classification, Online Social Networking (PDF)
• Cross Media Rating Presentation (PPT)

Encompassing recent communications services from the web 2.0, such as social networking, the new programme will fight not only illegal content but also harmful conduct such as grooming and bullying. A new action will aim to build up the knowledge base. For more information go to http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/programme/index_en.htm

FOSI Representative: David Miles

UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS)

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) unites over 100 organisations from the public and private sector working with the Government to deliver recommendations from Dr Tanya Byron’s report Safer Children in a Digital World.

The UK Government and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have accepted all Dr Byron’s recommendations, one of which was to set up a forum where stakeholders from across the internet safety spectrum would work together for the good of children and families. This has led to the establishment of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety.

Reporting directly to the Prime Minister, the Council will help to improve the regulation and education on internet use, tackling problems of online bullying, safer search features and violent video gamesAs one of the key recommendations of the Byron Review Action Plan, published by Children's Minister, Kevin Brennan, the Council is responsible for delivering on the key milestones of the Byron Report Safer Children in a Digital World. For more information go to http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/ukccis/

FOSI UKCCIS Representatives: Stephen Balkam & David Miles

Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG)

The BSG is the UK government's leading advisory group on broadband. It provides a neutral forum for organisations across the converging broadband value-chain to discuss and resolve key policy, regulatory and commercial issues, with the ultimate aim of helping to create a strong and competitive UK knowledge economy.
 
The BSG’s diverse network includes telecoms operators, manufacturers, investors, ISPs, broadcasters, new media companies, mobile operators, content producers and rights holders, as well as government departments (BERR, DCMS), Ofcom, Regional Development Agencies, devolved administrations and others.The Family Online Safety Institute actively supports and paricipates in its work. Learn more

FOSI Representative: David Miles  

Youth Protection Roundtable

After over two years of work the European Youth Protection Roundtable presented the outcome of its work in Berlin on 3rd April 2009. The Youth Protection Conference attracted over 230 attendees as well as fifteen exhibitors. The Family Online Safety Institute was one of 32 International partners and over 126 experts that contributed to the final result. Eight principles to improve youth protection on the Internet were developed by the Youth Protection Roundtable, an European thematic network bringing together companies and welfare organisations from 13 European countries. The implementation of these principles is supported by the YPRT Toolkit, a catalogue of non-binding references for the improvement of technical and educational measures.
Addressing technical experts, the YPRT Toolkit provides references and concrete suggestions on how to assess the impact of newly developed Internet appliances and services on their safe use by children and young people. For parents and pedagogues the YPRT Toolkit keeps ready information about the risks and threats that might come along for children surfing the Internet.

Today's younger  generation is at home in the virtual world, they are handling new technologies like smart phones, gaming consoles or the computers very proficiently. But coping with what they often enough have to face online and taking account of the possible consequences their own conduct presents significant challenges. Surveyed by the Stiftung Digitale Chancen this gave highest priority to safety measures like parental control and empowerment by teaching media literacy. However young people themselves often seek advice from their peers rather than from their parents, who are reckoned usually at being less acquainted with the Internet than their children. Therefore young people from 7 European countries have collaborated at the Young Roundtable to develop the YPRT Toolkit for appropriate technical and educational measures with regard to the protection of children and young people on the Internet.

The Youth Protection Roundtable is a network funded by the Safer Internet Programme of the European Commission since November 2006 and ended in April 2009. The Family Online Safety Institute has been an active participant in the Roundtable since its inception. For more information go to http://www.yprt.eu/

FOSI Representative: David Miles

Memorandum of Understanding between FOSI and the Egyptian Government

Signed 15-18 November 2009. 4th Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

Dr Tarek Kamel, the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology (3rd from left), H.E. Suzanne Mubarak (4th from left), David Miles, FOSI Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa (third from the right)

Venue: Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

With over 1,500 attendees at this year's Internet Governance Forum, family online safety was a dominant theme. From the opening morning of the workshop schedule, the Dynamic Coalition (which includes FOSI) took its theme as "The Global Path of ensuring Online Child Protection and Safety: Effective Strategies and Specific Actions." Subsequent workshops ensured child online safety was never far from the top of the agenda.

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