Telefónica Public Policy & Telefónica España Regulatory teams
Last week CEOs and board representatives of the member companies of the CEO Coalition for a better internet for kids were called to a meeting by the European Commission’s Vice President Neelie Kroes. The aim of this meeting was to get feedback on how these companies are facing the commitments achieved within the five working groups of the CEO Coalition.
Since the CEO Coalition was launched at the end of 2011, the industry involved has been working very hard to deliver concrete results on those five working areas: strong, simple reporting tools for users who experience problems; a choice of age-appropriate privacy setting; wider use of content classification, so users and their parents know what to expect while surfing online; wider availability and use of parental controls; and more effective takedown systems for child sexual abuse material.
Neelie Kroes said: “Children need quality content online, and skills and tools for using the Internet safely. Parents need support. And we are all better off if companies play a leading role in this effort. So we need to join forces for a greater impact. We all agree that making a better internet for children is important, and that it needs to be tackled, synergies between us should be found, in education, in partnerships and elsewhere. Together we should become the ambassadors of child online safety.”
Telefónica will deliver tangible measures for those commitments through a policy that will be implemented across its businesses as well as in its European and Latin American markets, furthermore including education as a very important pillar where to leverage all the promotion of the better use of ICT by children.
Telefónica has focused in education through different initiatives, such as the Interactive Generation Forum created in 2008, or dedicated websites with advices and useful information for parents, teachers and carers.
We will keep you updated on the progress of the Coalition!
