Division 3 ACTION 3: PROMOTING A SAFER ENVIRONMENT

A fully functioning system of self-regulation is an essential element in limiting the flow of unwanted, harmful and illegal content. Self-regulation involves a number of components: consultation and appropriate representation of the parties concerned; codes of conduct; national bodies facilitating cooperation at Community level; and national evaluation of self-regulation frameworks^f1. There is a continuing need for Community work in this area to encourage the European Internet and new online technologies industries to implement codes of conduct.

The Safer Internet Forum developed in 2004 under the Safer Internet Action Plan is to become a discussion forum including representatives of industry, law enforcement authorities, policy-makers and user organisations (e.g. parent and teacher organisations, child protection groups, consumer protection bodies and civil and digital rights organisations). It will provide a platform for national co-regulatory or self-regulatory bodies to exchange experience and an opportunity to discuss ways in which industry can contribute to the fight against illegal content.

The Safer Internet Forum will provide a focal point for discussion at expert level and a platform to drive consensus, inputting conclusions, recommendations, guidelines etc. to relevant national and European channels.

The Safer Internet Forum will span all the actions, facilitating discussion and stimulating action relevant to illegal, unwanted and harmful content. Consisting of plenary sessions and, where necessary for specific issues, working groups with clear objectives and deadlines, it will be a meeting place for actors from all areas, including government agencies and programmes, standards bodies, industry, services within the Commission and user organisations (e.g. parent and teacher organisations, child protection groups, consumer protection bodies and civil and digital rights organisations). The Forum will provide an opportunity for people, active at national and European level, especially those involved in Member State programmes and initiatives, to exchange views, information and experience. Where appropriate, the Safer Internet Forum should exchange information and cooperate with relevant organisations active in related areas, such as network and information security.

The Safer Internet Forum will have the specific objectives of:

1. 1..

   stimulating networking of the appropriate structures within Member States and developing links with self-regulatory bodies outside Europe;

2. 2..

   stimulating consensus and self-regulation on issues such as quality rating of websites, cross-media content rating, rating and filtering techniques, extending them to new forms of content such as online games and new forms of access such as mobile phones;

3. 3..

   encouraging service providers to draw up codes of conduct on issues such as handling notice and take down procedures in a transparent and conscientious manner and informing users about safer use of Internet and the existence of hotlines for reporting illegal content;

4. 4..

   promoting research into the effectiveness of rating projects and filtering technologies. User organisations and scientific research institutes can be valuable partners in this effort.

Results and findings from ongoing and completed projects co-funded by the programme will feed into the process. By providing an open platform, the Forum will help to raise levels of awareness and attract the involvement of the candidate countries and other third countries, providing an international arena to address a global problem. It will, therefore, ensure that key associations, such as user organisations (e.g. parent and teacher organisations, child protection groups, consumer protection bodies and civil and digital rights organisations), industries and public bodies are aware of, are consulted on and contribute to safer-use initiatives within the Community and internationally.

Participation in the Safer Internet Forum will be open to interested parties from outside the Community and candidate countries. International cooperation will be enhanced by a round table linked to the Forum in order to ensure regular dialogue on best practice, codes of conduct, self-regulation and quality ratings. The Commission will ensure that synergies with related fora and similar initiatives are fully exploited.

A call for tenders may be organised in order to provide a secretariat to support the Safer Internet Forum, including subject-field experts, to suggest themes of study, prepare working papers, moderate discussions and record conclusions.

A further type of activity attracting financial support at Community level could for instance include self-regulatory projects to devise cross-border codes of conduct. Advice and assistance may be provided so as to ensure cooperation at Community level through networking of the appropriate bodies within Member States and candidate countries and through systematic review and reporting of relevant legal and regulatory issues, to help develop methods of assessment and certification of self-regulation, to provide practical assistance to countries wishing to set up self-regulatory bodies and to expand links with self-regulatory bodies outside Europe.