Facebook rolled out a redesign on April 13 of a "safety centre" that provides information for parents, teenagers, teachers and law enforcement on how to safely use the booming social networking site. Facebook said the revamped page is the first major collaboration between the Palo Alto, California-based company and members of its global "Safety Advisory Board" set up in December.
"Safety is Facebook's first priority," Joe Sullivan, Facebook's chief safety officer, said in a blog post announcing the redesigned safety centre. Facebook, which has more than 400 million users around the world, is "dedicated to creating an environment where people can connect and share comfortably," Sullivan said.
The "Safety Centre" includes sections on "General Safety," "Safety for Educators," "Safety for Law Enforcers," "Safety for Parents" and "Safety for Teens." "There's no single answer to making the Internet or Facebook safer," said Elliot Schrage, Facebook's vice president of global communications and public policy. "That's why we're introducing new tools and advice for parents, educators and teens."
The various sections advise users to never share a password and provide information about privacy settings and cyberbullying. Users are also told how to "block" abusive members and how to report objectionable content. Advice for parents includes such topics as "How do I teach my teen to use the Internet wisely?"
Other features include a telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and links to email forms to report the presence of a registered sex offender or "terrorist content" on the site. The new measures do not, however, include one called for by a British child protection agency, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
The CEOP and other groups in Britain have urged Facebook to add a "panic button" to the site which would allow youngsters who feel threatened online to quickly contact a number of sources of help, such as the CEOP or anti-bullying help lines.
Members of the Safety Advisory Board include Common Sense Media, Britain's Childnet International, Connect Safely, The Family Online Safety Institute, and WiredSafety.
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