Gore Unveils Internet Safety Plan for Kids

The nation’s major Internet companies have agreed to offer parents faster access to technology allowing them to control and monitor children’s online habits, Vice President Al Gore said Tuesday.

Gore called the agreement “a positive step forward” that could keep youngsters away from “inappropriate content” like violent games or hate group sites.

The accord comes in the wake of the deadly school shooting spree in Colorado, which has raised questions about youngsters being exposed to violent and hate-filled sites on the Internet.

“Giving parents and teachers this ability will help ensure that our children can get the most from the vast educational potential of the Internet while keeping them safe,” Gore said.

Under the agreement, officials have added a Parent’s Information Web page to the FCC’s Internet site at https://www.fcc.gov. The page contains a series of resources, including a “guide to good content” and safety tips for youngsters and parents interested in surfing the Internet. The Internet companies agreed to provide a link to the new site from their home pages or a popular spot on their sites, meaning “parents and kids will be just one click away from a comprehensive resource guide,” Gore said.

It will also include a guide to the latest technologies to allow parents to take charge of the home computer, including ways to block children’s access to inappropriate sites. Other technologies allow parents to monitor the Internet sites visited by children and limit the time youngsters spend online.

Gore aides said the agreement will cover “sites that account for 95% of all Internet traffic.”

Those familiar with the bargaining that led to the agreement said the plan also includes a campaign to market the new guide. It will be financed largely by Internet companies, a Gore aide said.

A number of sites on the Internet are designed to offer guides for parents, including some created by the federal government. Backers of the proposal say it will get more attention than other sites and be more widely used because it will be promoted by major Internet companies.

The issue of violence and hate sites on the Internet has been hotly discussed since the deadly school shootings in Littleton, Colo., and reports that the killers there often played violent video games.

Some have pushed for restrictions on content allowed on the Internet, but they face critics who raise free speech issues that generally have been backed by the courts.

Alan Davidson, staff counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, said the plan is a workable balance between the needs to protect speech and children at the same time.

“From a group that cares about civil liberties and cares about kids, this is the right answer,” he said.

At another stop on Tuesday, Gore applauded Dragoslav Janevski, the owner of Milano Bakery, for building his business in downtown Detroit’s empowerment zone rather than in the suburbs.

He praised Detroit for its use of federal empowerment zone dollars, saying the city had received $4 billion in new investments. The zone in Detroit targets investment and offers tax breaks for businesses locating in an 18.2-square-mile section of the city.

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