WHY THEY EXIST
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet (fcc.gov, 2014). The CIPA imposes rules on schools and libraries that are eligible for the E-rate program. Eligible schools, school districts and libraries may apply individually or as part of a consortium. Funding may be requested under five categories of service: telecommunications, telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections. Discounts for support depend on the level of poverty and whether the school or library is located in an urban or rural area (fcc.gov, 2014). The CIPA is enforced and regulated through the Federal Communications Commission which updated the standards in 2011.
The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal (fcc.gov).
Schools subject to CIPA have two additional certification requirements: 1) their Internet safety policies must include monitoring the online activities of minors; and 2) as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, they must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response (fcc.gov, 2014).
Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:
(a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
(b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
(c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
(d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
(e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Federal Communications Commission (2014). Child Internet Protection Act. Retrieved from
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
The FCC is not the only Federal Agency that is getting involved in internet safety and privacy. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has conduct research on the types of information that websites collect just by clicking on the page.During the research of over a thousand websites they surveyed sites by six categories: (a) “comprehensive,” general-interest sites; (b) health-related sites; (c) retail sites; (d) financial sites; (e) child-oriented sites; and (f) “most popular” sites. The report also discussed nine industry-specific self-regulatory guidelines disseminated by various trade associations (Center for Democracy and Technology, 1998). What they found where the INTERESTING FACTS FOUND ON THE HOME PAGE. The amount of sites that collect information was 98%, this is astonishing and this report was published in 1998. Group 3 conducted research to find more recent statistics but was unable to find the most recent research. We will leave these numbers to your imagination to what it is today!
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet (fcc.gov, 2014). The CIPA imposes rules on schools and libraries that are eligible for the E-rate program. Eligible schools, school districts and libraries may apply individually or as part of a consortium. Funding may be requested under five categories of service: telecommunications, telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections. Discounts for support depend on the level of poverty and whether the school or library is located in an urban or rural area (fcc.gov, 2014). The CIPA is enforced and regulated through the Federal Communications Commission which updated the standards in 2011.
The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal (fcc.gov).
Schools subject to CIPA have two additional certification requirements: 1) their Internet safety policies must include monitoring the online activities of minors; and 2) as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, they must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response (fcc.gov, 2014).
Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:
(a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
(b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
(c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
(d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
(e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Federal Communications Commission (2014). Child Internet Protection Act. Retrieved from
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
The FCC is not the only Federal Agency that is getting involved in internet safety and privacy. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has conduct research on the types of information that websites collect just by clicking on the page.During the research of over a thousand websites they surveyed sites by six categories: (a) “comprehensive,” general-interest sites; (b) health-related sites; (c) retail sites; (d) financial sites; (e) child-oriented sites; and (f) “most popular” sites. The report also discussed nine industry-specific self-regulatory guidelines disseminated by various trade associations (Center for Democracy and Technology, 1998). What they found where the INTERESTING FACTS FOUND ON THE HOME PAGE. The amount of sites that collect information was 98%, this is astonishing and this report was published in 1998. Group 3 conducted research to find more recent statistics but was unable to find the most recent research. We will leave these numbers to your imagination to what it is today!