Internet Safety

eLearning Papers 28: Cyber Security and Education

With the rapid evolution of online media, new technologies have become more targeted and more sophisticated. This new context has been widely recognized in relation to its educational, social and even economic benefits. Wide use and popularity of social media also brings to the fore the notion of security and concerns regarding the management of the personal information circulating and stored on the web. Schools are an important resource, now that young people's use of the Internet is growing, and smaller children are quickly gaining access to and becoming proficient users of technology. Publication: April, 2012.

eLearning Papers 29: Learning and Active Ageing

Inspired by the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations 2012, eLearning  Papers will investigate how eLearning affects the lives of senior citizens. As a population at risk of marginalization, the elderly appear particularly suited to benefit from open educational resources. What is being done to make sure these digital immigrants can use and benefit from new educational technologies. Publication: May, 2012

eLearning Papers 30: 21st Century teachers and their workplace

This issue looks at how new learning technologies and other recent innovations have affected teachers' professional environments. 21st century learners has become a buzz-word in the field of educational research. This issues applies that term to the teachers, seeking practical examples and prospective visions that analyse what it means to be a teacher in the knowledge society. Publication: July, 2012.

eLearning Papers 31: The worlds of TEL - Scientific and Cultural perspectives

Technology-enhanced learning is not a new topic but the more normalized it becomes, the more we are able to develop nuanced critical perspectives on its development and impact. This issue will invite contributions that present a diverse range of practical and theoretical examples in order to discuss the state of the art regarding this topic, with special attention to areas that seem to be more problematic, or in particular need of further research. Publication: September, 2012.

eLearning Papers 32: Mobile learning, cloud computing and the promise for ubiquitous learning

While learning has always expanded beyond the walls of the classroom, the proliferation of devices and applications, which have greatly expanded when, where and how information can be accessed and stored, brings this issue to the fore. How have such devices had an impact in learning, and what role may they play in the future? This issue hopes to showcase practical examples and generate serious reflection on an emerging topic. Publication: December, 2012.

To know about the dates planned and to see the the Calls for Papers (to be published) click here

To know more about eLearning Papers click here

European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said: "This new Coalition should provide both children and parents with transparent and consistent protection tools to make the most of the online world. The founding Coalition members are already leaders in children's safety online. Working together we will be setting the pace for the whole industry and have a great basis for fully empowering children online." KROES VIDEO QUOTE HERE

The founding Coalition members have agreed a Statement of Purpose agreeing to take action in five areas:

• Simple and robust reporting tools: easy-to-find and recognisable features on all devices to enable effective reporting and responses to content and contacts that seem harmful to kids;

• Age-appropriate privacy settings: settings which take account of the needs of different age groups (such settings determine how widely available a user's information is; for example whether contact details or photos are available only to close contacts rather than to the general public);

• Wider use of content classification: to develop a generally valid approach to age-rating, which could be used across sectors and provide parents with understandable age categories;

• Wider availability and use of parental control: user-friendly tools actively promoted to achieve the widest possible take-up;

• Effective takedown of child abuse material: to improve cooperation with law enforcement and hotlines, to take proactive steps to remove child sexual abuse material from the internet.

The Coalition is a cooperative voluntary intervention. The Commission's expectation is that solutions developed by the founding members of the Coalition will be embraced by a growing number of companies, and new members will be welcome.

Background

Keeping children safe online is a key commitment of the Digital Agenda for Europe (general DAE information available at IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 and MEMO/10/200).

On average, children in Europe now start going online when they are seven. 38% of 9 to 12 year olds who are online say they have a social networking profile, in spite of age restrictions. More than 30% of children who go online do so from a mobile device and 26% via game consoles.

The Coalition was formed following a call by Vice President Kroes to the ICT sector to step up actions responding to the challenges posed by how young European now go online (SPEECH/11/703).

Founding members include handset manufacturers, operating system providers, Internet Service Providers, broadcasters, social networks and mobile operators. New members will be welcome.

There are deadlines and performance indicators for each of the five areas for action outlined in the Statement of Purpose. In addition, Coalition members have committed to work together alongside the Commission and engage with interested parties such as child welfare and consumer NGOs. The Commission convened earlier this week a group of NGOs in order to create a clear focus for accountability and reporting in the process. The Coalition will review its work in the summer of 2012 and establish by then what subsequent review will be required.

This initiative builds on existing sectoral agreements such as Safer Social Networking Principles, European Framework for Safer Mobile Use  and the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI).

Flertallet af de undersøgte websteder giver dog de unge alderssvarende sikkerhedsoplysninger, vejledning og/eller undervisningsmateriale, der specifikt fokuserer på mindreårige, og besvarer forespørgsler om hjælp. Syv websteder besvarede forespørgsler om hjælp, størsteparten inden for en dag.

To websteder (Dailymotion og Windows Live) sikrer, at de mindreårige kun kan kontaktes automatisk af venner gennem offentlige eller private meddelelser. På alle de websteder, der blev undersøgt, kan hvem som helst sende venneanmodninger til de mindreårige. På seks af webstederne har venners venner direkte adgang til de mindreåriges profiler. Alle de undersøgte websteder indeholder en kortere og mere børnevenlig version af deres anvendelses- og servicebetingelser.

Neelie Kroes, næstformand i Europa-Kommissionen og kommissær for den digitale dagsorden, sagde: "Unge mennesker har stor glæde og fordel af at benytte sociale netværk online, men er ofte ikke tilstrækkeligt bevidste om risici som f.eks. grooming. Det er nødvendigt, at de sociale netværkssteder tager deres ansvar over for de unge alvorligt. Jeg vil tage fat om disse spørgsmål senere i år i en omfattende strategi for, hvordan internettet kan gøres sikrere for børn gennem en kombination af beskyttende og ansvarliggørende foranstaltninger."

I rapporten kigges der specifikt på, hvordan "principperne for sikrere sociale netværk i EU" gennemføres af blogplatforme (Skyrock) og spilleplatforme (Xbox Live), foto- og videodelingsplatforme (YouTube, Dailymotion, Flickr), virtuelle verdener (Habbo Hotel, Stardoll), platforme, som har visse sociale netværksfunktionaliteter (Windows Live), og platforme, som gør det muligt at oprette personlige profiler med mulighed for at uploade blogs, fotos og opdateringer (Yahoo! Pulse). De forskellige undersøgelser blev gennemført mellem marts og juni 2011.

Den seneste rapport supplerer den rapport, der blev offentliggjort i juni 2011 om, hvordan principperne gennemføres af 14 dedikerede sociale netværk på internettet (se IP/11/762).

Kommissionen er i færd med at gennemgå beskyttelsen af mindreårige på nettet mod risici som f.eks. grooming og cybermobning som led i målsætningen i den digitale dagsorden for Europa (se IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 og MEMO/10/200) om at øge tilliden til internettet. Kommissionen vil tage hensyn til resultaterne af de to undersøgelser om gennemførelsen af EU's principper for sikrere sociale netværk, når den senere i år udarbejder et omfattende initiativ med henblik på at ansvarliggøre og beskytte børn, når de bruger nye teknologier.

Baggrund

"Principperne for sikrere sociale netværk i EU" er en aftale om selvregulering, som Kommissionen fik bragt i stand i 2009 for at sørge for, at børn kan færdes sikkert på internettet (se IP/09/232).

Indtil videre har 21 virksomheder skrevet under på disse principper: Arto, Bebo, Dailymotion, Facebook, Giovani, Google, Hyves, Microsoft Europe, MySpace, Nasza-klasa, Netlog, One, Rate, Skyrock, VZnet Netzwerke, Stardoll, Sulake, Tuenti, Yahoo! Europe og Zap. Wer-kennt-wen tilsluttede sig principperne i november 2010, men var ikke med i den aktuelle undersøgelse.

Den seneste rapport konkluderer følgende:

• Kun Habbo Hotel og Xbox Live indstiller som standard mindreåriges personlige og identificerbare oplysninger, så de kun kan ses af de godkendte personer på deres kontaktliste, uanset hvor mange oplysninger om sig selv de har anbragt på deres profiler.

• På syv andre websteder viste undersøgelserne, at der var en betydelig mængde personlige oplysninger (herunder oplysninger, som brugerne har tilføjet efter registreringen), som automatisk blev vist til brugere, som ikke indgik i de mindreåriges godkendte kontaktlister. Disse oplysninger førte ikke nødvendigvis til en umiddelbar identifikation af de mindreårige, men kunne gøre det.

• På seks af netværkene havde venners venner direkte adgang til de mindreåriges profiler. Uregistrerede brugere kunne få adgang til mindreåriges profiler via deres blog eller via en video eller et billede, som den mindreårige havde anbragt online. Når en mindreårigs blog, personlige videoer, billeder, videokanaler eller fotodelingsarkiver findes (f.eks. via en ekstern søgemaskine eller via et link, der er fremsendt i en e-mail osv.), giver det adgang til den mindreåriges profil.

• Otte af de ni undersøgte websteder (alle undtagen Windows Live) indeholder information, vejledning og/eller undervisningsmateriale om sikkerhed på internettet, der specielt er rettet mod mindreårige. I Windows Live var informationen mere bestemt for forældre eller værger, selv om den også let kunne forstås af unge mennesker.

• Dailymotion, Flickr, Habbo Hotel, Yahoo! Pulse, Skyrock, Stardoll og YouTube indeholder sikkerhedsoplysninger for børn og forældre, der både er lette at finde og at forstå.

• Ved standardindstilling kunne man kun i ét af de ni undersøgte websteder finde mindreåriges profiler ved at søge på navn via interne eller eksterne søgemaskiner (f.eks. Google, Bing eller Yahoo!).

På adskillige af disse websteder er brugerprofilerne ikke brugernes vigtigste adgangspunkt eller interesse. Dette gælder især for foto- og videoudvekslingsplatforme, hvor brugerne typisk besøger et fotodelingsarkiv eller en videokanal, men ikke nødvendigvis en brugers profil.

EU's principper for sikrere sociale netværk og vurderingen af gennemførelsen heraf:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/social_networking/eu_action/implementation_princip_2011/index_en.htm

Programmet "Safer Internet":

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/index_en.htm

Den digitale dagsorden:

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda

Neelie Kroes' websted:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/

Følg Neelie Kroes på Twitter:

http://twitter.com/neeliekroeseu