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Internet Summit Seeks Ways to Protect Kids OnlineThe beginning of a full-scale effort to make the Internet “safe” for children emerged at the Internet/Online Summit: Focus on Children, a historic meeting of some 400 leaders from government, industry, education, child advocacy, and antipornography groups held December 1–3 in Washington, D.C. Featured speakers included Vice-president Al Gore, Attorney General Janet Reno, and Secretary of Education Richard Riley. The agenda included a series of panel discussions on child safety, law enforcement, filtering, rating systems, content, and other issues related to children's use of the Internet. ALA representatives participated on panels devoted to filtering and ratings, safe sites, and the closing program. Initiatives of special interest to librarians included ALA's expanded Great Sites, a “cybercollection” of over 700 recommended Web sites for kids. Vice President Al Gore announced a national public education campaign to help adults understand how to guide kids online that will feature “teach-ins” to be held in schools, libraries and community centers across the nation. Gore said he disagrees with those who consider children “miniature adults” and asserted that “blocking your own child's access to objectionable content is not censoring—that's called parenting.” A full report on the summit will appear in the January 1998 American Libraries. Posted December 15, 1997. |
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