There are several areas where current government response is lacking
and where you need to demand improvement.
➟ Society has tasked government with ensuring the dis-
semination of public safety messages such as the
health warnings on cigarette packaging. Regrettably,
holistic Internet safety messaging is still lacking — and
much of the current Internet safety messaging fails to
provide useful, actionable information. Safety messag-
ing must explain both potential risks and how to eval-
uate risks so that you can determine your own comfort
level.
➟ Governments and courts need to set age boundaries,
establish the dividing line between legal and illegal
content, and between safe and unsafe product quality.
It should support these laws by
- Creating and enforcing minimum safety standards
to restore consumer confidence in online tools and
services. - Passing legislation that enables law enforcement to
arrest criminals and get convictions for crimes that
aren’t covered by existing laws. - Making funds available for equipment, training,
and additional officers. Mandates without funding
aren’t priorities; they’re merely political lip service.
Let your elected officials know that you demand regulations that
require consumer protection in online services and products and the
development of laws that will allow law enforcement to arrest and
prosecute online criminals.
If you have grandchildren you should know that a
Texas judge’s ruling determined that parents own the
primary responsibility for protecting minors online, as343Chapter 16: Knowing Your Rights and Making a Difference