"Kids Safe" calls for mandatory blocking sw; op-ed on summit

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

[What was that the IFEA folks were saying last week? Oh, yes, I remember: 
by building systems like PICS you also create an irresistable temptation
for Congress to make them mandatory. --Declan]



                                 Business Wire

                            December 5, 1997, Friday

DISTRIBUTION: Business/News Editors & High-Tech Writers

LENGTH: 486 words

HEADLINE: Child-Safety Advocate Calls on Congress to Mandate Parental
Software on All Computers Sold in U.S.

DATELINE:  LOS ANGELES

BODY:
   Dec. 5, 1997--Saying that we must protect children from the dangers of
sexually explicit material on the Internet, a leading child-safety advocate
Friday called on Congress to enact legislation to mandate that every
computer sold in the United States by 1999 be outfitted with parental
software that can block out sexually explicit or adult Web sites.

    Jayne Murphy Shapiro, founder and president of KIDS SAFE, an
organization dedicated to protecting children against sexual molestation,
is writing all members of Congress to express her concerns about the
dangers of the Internet and her goal to make the Internet online experience
safe, educational and entertaining for chldren.

    Shapiro, who attended the Internet Online Summit in Washington this
week and met with government officials and community activists from across
the country, said, "Mandating that computer makers install screening
software will give parents new power to control what material young
children are exposed to.

    "Our proposal would require manufacturers to install computer software
in new computers to allow parents to block Internet sites considered too
violent or obscene for their children.  The easy-to-use filtering software
would allow parents, educators and employers to screen the Internet,
providing an alternative to government censorship."

    Shapiro pointed out that KIDS SAFE does not believe in censorship of
the Internet, but rather in the common goal of protecting the First
Amendment and the Internet so it can be used for free expression, education
and commerce.

    Current software on the market allows for an Internet site to be
blocked if it meets the following guidelines: 1) a disclaimer indicating
restricted access; and 2) a screen or warning that identifies the site as
adult-oriented or containing information unsuitable for those underage or
the publisher has requested that his/her site be blocked.

    "Screening software, coupled with parental responsibility, enables
parents to make informed decisions about what Internet sites their children
can enter," said Shapiro.  "Parental responsibility, with the help of the
screening software, can be a major step in curtailing the needless exposure
to
inappropriate Web sites that plague the Internet." -0- NOTE: Jayne Murphy
Shapiro, president of KIDS SAFE, is available for comments on this or any
other child-safety issues.



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                        The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

                    December 4, 1997; THURSDAY; ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: OPINION; Pg. L10

LENGTH: 618 words

HEADLINE: PEDOPHILES IN CYBERSPACE ;
WE MUST STOP CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ON THE INTERNET

BYLINE: The Record

BODY:
   THE increasing presence of child pornography on the Internet is a
national problem that must be dealt with aggressively and quickly. This is
not a free-speech or First Amendment issue. Child pornography is a crime.
We do not tolerate it in our communities, and we should not
tolerate it in cyberspace.

   Unfortunately, as a Page One article in The Record pointed out
yesterday, cyberspace is tailor-made for the dissemination of child
pornography. It allows pedophiles instant access to explicit photos in the
privacy of their own homes, and it gives distributors and collectors enough
anonymity to avoid getting caught and being prosecuted.

   In fact, the anonymity and the ease of finding sexually
explicit material involving children on the Internet may have actually
broadened the audience for child pornography. And law enforcement
officials worry that this could in turn lead to increased child sexual abuse.

   Vice President Al Gore has been leading a campaign to make the
Internet safe for children. This week, he announced a new partnership
between Internet service providers and the Justice Department in an
effort to crack down on child pornography, and a toll-free hot line to
report any suspected incidents of child sexual exploitation.

   America Online also announced its cooperation."When child
pornography is appropriately brought to our attention and we have
control over it, we will remove it,"AOL Chairman Steve Case said.

   But law enforcement officials, computer experts, and child
advocates say it's not that easy, by any means. Even if AOL cooperates, a
great deal of child pornography is found on chat rooms hosted by
hundreds of much smaller providers, who are loathe to police themselves
because of liability or censorship concerns, or because they don't have the
staff to do so.

   The Record's article also pointed out that most law enforcement
officials are not knowledgeable enough to track down child pornography
distributors, who are experts at disguising themselves on the Internet and
finding new ways to fool monitors. Law enforcement officials may
also lack the manpower needed to track down pedophiles."If we go on

line undercover for one night,"one investigator said,"we're busy for
two weeks, getting warrants and records."

   Many more"cybercops"are needed at the federal, state, and
local levels who have the expertise to keep one step ahead of child
pornographers, and much more manpower and training is needed.

   In New Jersey, state Sen. Andrew Ciesla, R-Brick, has
introduced a bill that would create a high-tech crimes and investigation
support unit for the state police. The measure, which should be
approved, would set aside $ 400,000 for the unit to investigate computer
crimes, including child pornography on the Internet, and create a
24-hour toll-free state hot line for reporting anything suspicious.

    Alerting the authorities is a key component of this crackdown,
and Mr. Gore also announced a national"Cybertip"hot line to report
suspicious on-line activity related to child pornography. The number is
(800) 843-5678.

   The vice president is to be commended for seeking ways to stop
these ugly predators. But this effort must be more than just lip
service. It will take time to find the most effective ways to crack down on
child pornography on the Internet, but the quest should take on
increasing urgency, given all the evidence that the problem is growing.

    In the meantime, intense pressure should be brought to bear on the
Internet industry, which can make a huge dent in this particularly vile
cybercrime by aggressively policing itself.

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