FACEBOOK AND CEOP GET ‘APPY
Hot off the Facebook Press! Did you know Facebook and CEOP have teamed up to make the internet a safer place for young people?
Young Facebook users across the UK have been made the centre of attention recently. This is because of a new initiative launched this year by the UK’s national centre for child protection – the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and mega social networking website Facebook.
The new initiative aims at making the internet and social networking site Facebook as safe as possible for its users in the UK, looking particularly at young people aged between 13 – 18 years. You will now have direct access to CEOP’s centre simply by clicking - ClickCEOP – from your homepage. CEOP can then offer guidance, the very latest help on online safety, as well as a dedicated facility for reporting instances of suspected grooming or inappropriate sexual behaviour.
The ClickCEOP button will be provided via an application that you can add or bookmark. It will then be on your homepage as a source of help as well as reassurance your friends, family and others that they are online. Not only is there the ClickCEOP application, but there is also a new CEOP page. You can 'like' this page and then help raise the profile of this new online safety initiative.
Facebook are fully supportive and promoting the new initiative, encouraging all young people to make use of the application. Facebook will also be running an automatic advert-message that will appear on every homepage of young people aged between 13-18 years inviting you to add the application.
This team work approach between CEOP and Facebook combines Facebook expertise in technology and social networking with CEOP’s knowledge of internet safety and security, as well as its role as the national centre for child protection.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre said:
Our dialogue with Facebook about adopting the ClickCEOP button is well documented – today however is a good day for child protection. By adding this application, Facebook users will have direct access to all the services that sit behind our ClickCEOP button which should provide reassurance to every parent with teenagers on the site.
“We know from speaking to offenders that a visible deterrent could protect young people online. We urge all Facebook users to add the app and bookmark it so that others can see that they’re in control online."
Joanna Shields, Facebook’s Vice President for EMEA said:
Nothing is more important than the safety of our users, which is why we have invested so much in making Facebook one of the safest places on the internet. There is no single silver bullet to making the Internet safer but by joining forces with CEOP we have developed a comprehensive solution which marries our expertise in technology with CEOP’s expertise in online safety.
“Together we have developed a new way of helping young people stays safe online and backed this with an awareness campaign to publicise it to young users. It is only through the constant and concerted effort of the industry, police, parents and young people themselves that we can all keep safe online – whether on Facebook or elsewhere.”
You can go online CEOP’s new Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/clickceop) which has polls, news alerts and status updates. The page has loads of interesting things for young people and all the information about online safety. You can also add the ClickCEOP application from there too.
James Brokenshire, MP, Minister for Crime Prevention said:
“I am pleased that Facebook and CEOP have joined forces so that more children can report suspicious behaviour and gain access to the help, advice and support they need. I strongly urge parents to encourage their children to download this application now.
“It’s a sad fact that we are now seeing more cases where sex offenders are using social networking sites to conceal their identities in order to contact children.“While this solution provides real help it’s also vital that government continue to work with industry, police, and parents to educate children about the dangers they may face online.”
For more information
CEOP press office on 0870 000 3434
Facebook press team on 0207 260 2700
