The Internet Safety Technical Task Force releases results of year long study

 On January 14, the Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF), a group of 29 leading Internet businesses, non-profit organizations, academics, and technology companies, released its final report after joining together for a year-long investigation of tools and technologies to create a safer environment on the Internet for youth.
I was appointed, in my role as head of WiredSafety.org, to the ISTTF when it was formed in February 2008. The task force was created in response to concerns expressed by 49 state attorneys general, lead by AG Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Cooper (North Carolina). Both had been very active in investigating cybercrimes and risks on social networks.
MySpace agreed to form the task force, pulling together what AG Blumenthal called the “who’s who of the Internet” that includes Google, Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo!, Facebook, MySpace, Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, academics, several technology providers and a handful of child and privacy advocates.
For nine months we deliberated, reviewed existing research and had a group of technology experts kick the tires of age-verification technologies and technical applications to help protect children from sexual exploitation on social networks.
Given the budget, no independent research could be conducted. But an extensive review of existing peer-reviewed research was commissioned and overseen by researchers at the Berkman Center at Harvard and visiting scholars from other academic institutions.
The conclusions, as you might have heard on (continue reading...)