EU and U.S. Sign Joint Declaration to Make the Internet Safer for Kids

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- European Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes and the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano have today signed a joint declaration in London, committing to make the Internet a safer and better place for children.

In the declaration, Vice President Kroes and Secretary Napolitano:

• agree to implement joint campaigns on the occasion of an annual Safer Internet Day. As a first step, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security intends to participate in the European Union's Safer Internet Day for young people on February 5, 2013.
• commit to contribute to international cooperation in fighting child sexual abuse online in the immediate future. This will build on existing work by the Virtual Global Taskforce and Interpol on law enforcement collaboration to combat child sexual abuse worldwide. International cooperation is essential if we are to be effective in fighting child sexual abuse online.
• acknowledge that parents and guardians need to trust the content and services their children access and commit to continue working with industry and other stakeholders so that parents and children can make informed choices online.

This declaration complements other European Commission initiatives to keep children safe and confident in the digital world. These include the EU Strategy for a safer internet and better internet content for children and teenagers presented earlier this year, and a Commission-brokered coalition of top tech & media companies to make the internet a better place for our kids.

Background

The groundwork for today's declaration was prepared by the EU-U.S. Working Group on Cyber-security and Cyber-crime. This was established in the context of the EU-U.S. Summit of November 20, 2010 held in Lisbon with the aim to tackle new threats to the global networks upon which the security and prosperity of our free societies increasingly depend.

Within the European Commission, Vice-President Kroes is responsible for cyber-security and Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom for tackling cyber-crime. Within the United States, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Commerce and other federal entities collaborate to help strengthen cyber-security and fight cyber-crime.

For further information, please see:

Joint Declaration
Better Internet for Kids in the Digital Agenda for Europe 
Coalition of top tech & media companies to make internet better place for our kids 
Safer Internet Day 
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Neelie Kroes website
Vice President Kroes' Twitter account

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States