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From: "Crapo News Release (Crapo)" newsclips at crapo.senate.gov
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 07:28:58 -0700
To: 
Subject: [Spam 6.40] CRAPO LAUDS PASSAGE OF ONLINE SAFETY MEASURES FOR CHILDREN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 CONTACT:    Susan Wheeler (202)
224-5150
May 23, 2008                                                 Laura
Thurston Goodroe (202) 224-7500
 

CRAPO LAUDS PASSAGE OF ONLINE SAFETY MEASURES FOR CHILDREN
		Bill, Resolution pass Senate by Unanimous Consent

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Two measures, co-sponsored by Senator Mike Crapo, that
increase safeguards for children using the Internet passed the Senate
this week by unanimous consent.  "The KIDS Act, combined with the
declaration of June as Internet Safety Month sends a strong message that
Congress takes very seriously the devastating crime of Internet
predation of our children," said Crapo.  "Statistics and firsthand
accounts of children and law enforcement reveal very frightening data on
the pervasiveness of online sexual predation.  Pedophiles operate more
than 10,000 websites, and hundreds more are created monthly-chilling
when you consider that 35 million children from kindergarten to grade 12
have Internet access.  This is an international issue rendering national
and state boundary lines irrelevant.  While the Internet serves as an
effective information tool, parents absolutely must be aware of their
children's online behavior and habits as well as those with whom their
children communicate."  

S. 431, the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators (KIDS) Act,
requires the registration of email and instant messaging addresses of
sex offenders on a sex offender's profile on the National Sex Offender
Registry.  Failure to register such identifiers will be punishable by a
fine or imprisonment.  The KIDS Act also requires the U.S. Department of
Justice to maintain a system allowing commercial social networking
website companies to compare identifiers of registered or potential
users of those sites to a list of identifiers of registered sex
offenders.  The companies would be immune from civil liability if they
used this system.  The bill also makes it a federal crime for anyone who
is at least 18 years old to misrepresent their age when communicating
over the Internet with the intent to engage in or facilitate criminal
sexual contact with a minor.

The Senate also declared June as "Internet Safety Month."  S. Res. 567,
calls for increased awareness about threats posed by the Internet.  The
resolution encourages safe and responsible Internet usage and urges law
enforcement, parents, educators, community leaders and volunteers to
continue their strong efforts in this area and offer updated and
improved prevention and awareness training.   

Statistics show that 31 percent of children who use the Internet have
the skill to circumvent Internet filtering software.  Sixty-one percent
of students admit to using the Internet unsafely or inappropriately, and
20 percent of middle and high school students have met face-to-face with
someone they first met online.  According to the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children, approximately one in seven youth online
(10 to 17-years-old) received a sexual solicitation or approach over the
Internet; 34 percent had an unwanted exposure to sexual material; and,
only 27 percent of the youth who encountered unwanted sexual material
told a parent or guardian. If the encounter was defined as
distressing-episodes that made them feel very or extremely upset or
afraid-42 percent told a parent or guardian.   Thirty-six percent of
"dual offenders," defined as those who had both sexually victimized
children and were in possession of child pornography, sent child
pornography to law enforcement posing as children online.  

				#     #     #

To link directly to this news release, please go to:
http://crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/release_full.cfm?id=298341


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Subject: [Spam 6.40] CRAPO LAUDS PASSAGE OF ONLINE SAFETY MEASURES FOR CHILDREN
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 10:28:58 -0400
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