News and events

12 February Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is an annual event, organised by Insafe (www.saferinternet.org), the European internet safety network.

NetAlert works closely with Insafe and coordinates events in Australia to celebrate Safer Internet Day activities. In 2008 Safer Internet Day was themed ‘Life online is what YOU make of it’. The event took place in February.

As part of the Australian contribution, ACMA participated in a week-long international blogathon, supported by the Australian Federal Police, schools and education agencies, libraries, the Internet Industry Association and online communities. ACMA’s popular blog received more than 230 comments from students in 22 Australian schools. More than 100 grade 5 students in Western Australia also participated in the ACMA-run Cybersmart Detectives (www.cybersmartkids.com.au/CybersmartDetectives.htm) activity.

Community organisations such as schools and libraries celebrated the day with internet safety activities including classroom programs and debates, supported by a range of brochures and printed material.

Media releases

4 April 2008 – Launch of Good Practice Guidance for the Providers of Social Networking and Other User Interactive Services 2008

New international guidelines for safer use of social networking services, such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, were recently launched in the United Kingdom Parliament’s House of Lords. ACMA was an important contributor in developing the Guidance. The Guidance addresses, at an international level, concerns at the heart of the Government’s cybersafety policy, which recognises how internet use is shifting to new media such as online social networking.

Read ACMA’s media release (www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311043).

Download a full copy of the Guidance (www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/).