Telecom Italia’s participation in Safer Internet Day forms parte of a series of activities by which for years the Company has been providing high levels of protection for the minors using telecommunications services.
For this particular day, the Telecom Italia Group has made its web platforms available. The institutional website www.telecomitalia.it, the blog www.avoicomunicare.it , the website dedicated to the series of debates on the future www.venicesessions.it, the photo portal www.jpeggy.it, the pages dedicated to Telecom Italia on the major social networks, the website www.navigaresicuri.org and main Group portals such as Virgilio, TIM and Alice, will host the initiative through the campaign “Posta con la Testa” (“Use your head when you mail”). Telecom Italia has also produced an on-line game with access through the Telecom website and the Navigare Sicuri website, with easy and fun steps to enable young surfers to test their ability to protect their privacy.
Avoicomunicare.it, the Telecom Italia blog for dialogue and discussion on major current issues, will host significant contributions on the topic of on-line security. Starting from today, a video interview with Valerio Neri from Save the Children will be available, soon to be followed by the video interview with Maria Rita Parsi of the Fondazione Movimento Bambino.
Hamadoun Touré, the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will issue an interview for this important international day; as soon as the Italian language version is available, it will also be o n the website www.avoicomunicare.it. Telecom Italia, with the ITU and other partners, has also participated in the drawing up to the guidelines on "Child Online Protection" available on the website: www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/guidelines/industry/industry.pdf.
Finally, LA7, the Telecom Italia Group TV, will broadcast all day an advertising spot produced by the European Commission for the Safer Internet Day.
The Telecom Italia commitment to the protection of minors involves numerous existing day to day activities:
- Collaboration with Italian and International public institutions (such as the European Unions and the UN International Telecommunication Union), sector associations (such as the GSM Association) and the Post and Communications Police, in order to define standards and to counter cybercrime, and in this context, the dissemination of child pornography. On 7 October 2009 in Geneva, the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union made an award to Telecom Italia for the company’s concrete action in the “Child Online Protection” initiative, which is part of the broader international project “Global Cybersecurity Agenda” promoted by the United Nations;
- The contribution of funds and skills provided to the Ministry of the Interior and the State Police for producing the technological infrastructure of the National Centre for Countering Child Pornography Online (CNCPO);
- The cooperation with “Telefono Azzurro”, for which the company has provided infrastructures and services for the toll-free number “114” Child Emergency (since 2003) and for the European toll-free number “116000” for reporting the disappearance of children (since May 2009);
- The specific commitment on the organisational model adopted by Telecom Italia (Model 231) with the operational implementation of the principles of the Code of Ethics, internal auditing and corporate governance;
- The creation of an Abuse Desk to receive reports on abuses and the improper use of telecommunications services, accessed through a footer on the home page of the Telecom Italia institutional website (www.telecomitalia.it) and the Alice.it website (www.alice.it/sicurezza/tutele_minori.html); the reports are analysed, and when required are forwarded to the Post and Communications Police for suitable investigations;
- Instruments and services like “Alice Total Security” (centralised antivirus and firewall) and “Alice Magic Desktop” (software dedicated to children, providing on the PC an operating system parallel to the standard one);
- Publications like “Nati con the Rete” (“Born with the web”) distributed through the sales network;
- The initiative “Navigare Sicuri” (“Safe Surfing”) created together with Save the Children and Fondazione Movimento Bambino to enhance awareness in children, teenagers and parents for the carful and aware use of the web.
Rome, 9 February 2010
