"Today's parents and teachers want internet safety tools and
skills. We must get more actively involved in our children's use of
new media and in teaching them to use the internet safely, which is
vital to their future in the information society," said Information
Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding.
"I am particularly glad that Parliament and Council very quickly
found an agreement on the Commission proposal, thereby enabling us
to take rapid and effective action to make the internet safer and
more trustworthy," she added.
The proposed four-year programme, put forward by the Commission
in March, is intended to have a budget of €45 million and will
tackle not only internet safety but other media, such as videos. It
builds on work carried out by the EU since 1996, but will focus
more on internet end users – parents, teachers and children – than
has been the case to date.
The four main aspects of the scheme are:
- Fighting illegal content: hotlines that enable the public to
report illegal content and which pass the reports on to the
appropriate body for action. The programme will fund individual
hotlines and network co-ordination, and will be extended to help
lines for children worried by illegal and harmful content.
- Tackling unwanted and harmful content: funding for technology
that enables users to limit the amount of unwanted and harmful
content they receive, or that can be used to test the effectiveness
of available filters. Funding will also be available for developing
better filters and promoting exchanges of information and best
practice on anti-spam enforcement.
- Promoting a safer environment: the EU supports self-regulation,
which offers flexibility and understanding of needs in an area
combining high technology, rapid change and cross-border activity.
The Commission will provide a Safer Internet Forum for national
co-regulatory or self-regulatory bodies to exchange
experience.
- Awareness-raising: the Commission will support information
exchange on safer internet use, particularly for personalised,
interactive and mobile applications.
