For Release: January 14, 2008
Contact: J. Tucker Martin or David Clementson
Email: tucker.martin@oag.state.va.us or dclementson@oag.state.va.us
Phone: 804-786-2071
McDonnell Announces National Association of Attorneys General Agreement with MySpace on Social Networking Safety
--Agreement Includes Changes to MySpace Website to Protect Minors—
Attorney General McDonnell Commends MySpace for their Partnership
Richmond- In a move to improve youth Internet safety, Attorney General Bob McDonnell, along with the ten other Attorneys General who sit on a National Association of Attorneys General executive committee investigating online social networking, today announced that industry leader MySpace has voluntarily agreed to significant steps to better protect children on its website.
After a lengthy period of cooperative discussions, MySpace has agreed to make several changes to its site, including allowing parents to submit their children’s emails so MySpace can prevent anyone using those emails from setting up profiles, making the default setting “private” for profiles of 16- and 17-year-olds, promising to respond within 72 hours to inappropriate content complaints and committing more staff and/or resources to review and classify photographs and discussion groups.
Additionally under the agreement, MySpace, with support from the Attorneys General, will create and lead an Internet Safety Technical Task Force to explore and attempt to develop workable age and identity verification tools for social networking websites. The task force will include social networking sites, identity verification experts, child protection groups and technology companies. The group will report back to the attorneys general every three months and issue a formal report with findings and recommendations at the end of 2008.
“I commend MySpace for stepping up and leading the way in improving security features on social networking websites,” Attorney General McDonnell said. “This agreement serves as a significant step towards making the Internet safer for our children. This is the way we keep children safer online, by working for progress and improvements with technology leaders. We can’t do this without cooperation, and MySpace has led the way in working with Attorneys General nationwide.”
The agreement is the culmination of nearly two years of discussions between MySpace and several Attorneys General who serve on an executive committee researching social networking. The committee is led by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. The committee also consists of Attorney General McDonnell from Virginia, as well as the Attorneys General of Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.
Virginia has been a national leader in the area of youth Internet safety. In 2006, Attorney General McDonnell convened his Youth Internet Safety Task Force which resulted in the passing of sweeping reforms of the laws governing Internet predators, as well as the implementation of statewide educational initiatives. MySpace served as a member of the task force along with many other technology companies, law enforcement officers, parents, students, teachers and public officials. In addition, MySpace is a supporter of the ongoing “Virginia Youth Internet Safety PSA Contest” in a continuation of its commitment to promoting online safety. (To learn more about this contest please visit: http://www.vaag.com/ProjectSafetyNetVA/index.html)
A copy of the final Youth Internet Safety Task Force report can be found on the Attorney General’s website at: http://www.vaag.com/InternetTaskForce/ReportYISTFfinal.pdf
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