[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. ------ 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. ----