(Washington, DC) The District of Columbia has joined 49 states in an agreement with the Facebook.com online social networking site to protect children from predators and inappropriate content. Facebook will also take part in a task force on implementing software to verify age and identity.
”The Internet provides young people with access to an entire world of information, but also puts them at risk,” said Interim Attorney General Peter J. Nickles. “Today’s agreement and others like it will help make online social networking a safer experience for our kids and grandkids."
The Facebook agreement is similar to one reached in January with MySpace.com. Both agreements are the product of a multistate working group of attorneys general on safer online networking. Nickles is a member of the group.
Facebook has agreed to the following changes:
- Providing automatic warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an unknown adult
- Restricting the ability of users to change their listed ages
- Acting more aggressively to remove inappropriate content and groups from the site
- Requiring third party vendors to adhere to Facebook’s safety and privacy guidelines
Under the changes, the first time a Facebook user wants to change his or her age, website staff will review the user’s profile to determine whether the change is appropriate.
In addition, companies offering Facebook users services -- called “widgets” -- will now have to implement and enforce Facebook’s safety and privacy guidelines.
Facebook also has agreed to maintain a list of pornographic websites and regularly sever any links to such sites. It will remove groups for incest, pedophilia, cyber-bullying and other violations of the site’s terms of services, as well as expel from the site individual violators of those terms.
Select the link below for a detailed statement signed by the 50 attorneys general.