A Briefing On Public Policy Issues Affecting Civil Liberties Online
from
The Center For Democracy and Technology
(1) GetNetWise 2.0 Launched with Expanded User Empowerment Resources
(2) GetNetWise 2.0 Resources Encompass Child Safety, Spam, Privacy and Security
(3) Expanded GetNetWise Responds to Changing Internet and its Population
Useful tips and tools for protecting children online, stopping spam, keeping personal information private, and securing home computers are now available online at GetNetWise.org.
CDT has been a major supporter of GetNetWise and encourages users to take advantage of and promote this convenient resource. Sponsored by a diverse group of Internet companies and public interest organizations, and developed by the Internet Education Foundation, GetNetWise 2.0 gives Internet users the resources they need to make informed decisions about how they use the Internet.
Originally developed in 1999 to assist parents in guiding their children's online experience, GetNetWise has been expanded to cover other issues of concern to Internet users - spam, privacy and security.
The GetNetWise tools support the "user empowerment" approach to the Internet that CDT has long promoted - educating users and giving them the tools they can use to tailor their online experiences to their own values.
The expanded GetNetWise resource is at http://www.getnetwise.org.
If you would like to promote GetNetWise 2.0 or if you have tools that you want included in the resource lists, contact Megan Kinnaird at megan@neted.org or Becky Chacko becky@neted.org.
The expanded GetNetWise offers tips, tutorials, interactive tools and downloads to assist users in securing a positive online environment. The user-friendly Web site has four content areas:
The new site also includes video tutorials - animated "flash" presentations that walk users step-by-step through the process of installing or using technologies and tools.
In 1999, at the height of the debate over Congressional efforts to censor the Internet, Internet companies and public advocacy groups saw the need for an easy-to-use and widely-promoted resource that would provide information and tools to parents wishing to protect their children from offensive content. They created GetNetWise to bring together diverse and often uncoordinated consumer education efforts. GetNetWise is now one of the most linked-to sites on the Web, with 81,000 external links.
In launching the new GetNetWise 2.0, CDT President Jerry Berman stressed that it is not intended to substitute for legislation on issues like privacy or spam, where users deserve a baseline of legal protection. "Whether or not we have laws to address these issues, consumers need access to information about their rights and responsibilities and about how they can control their online experience. Given the global nature of the Internet and the limitations of government action, user empowerment has to be part of the solution to pressing concerns like offensive content, privacy invasions, security, and spam."
The new version of GetNetWise reflects the changing Internet. While the safety of children remains central to the project, Internet users also confront the challenges of spam, protecting the privacy of personal information, and the need to maintain the security of their computers. Reflecting the emergence of the broadband Internet, the site highlights special advice and tools for users with high speed access.
Detailed information about online civil liberties issues may be found at http://www.cdt.org/.
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Policy Post 9.15 Copyright 2003 Center for Democracy and Technology
