Internet safety is a basic right of Internet users. But it's not the only one. There are other fundamental rights that Net users of all ages have, and I propose that Internet safety will actually serve all Internet users better – and have much more relevance to the younger ones in our homes and schools – when we put it in context, in a framework of online rights. It's a framework for all users' … [Read more...] about Proposed ‘rightful’ framework for Internet safety
Law & Policy
Textbook case of what NOT to do in teen sexting cases
The Washington Post has done some important reporting on a teen sexting case in Virginia, spotlighting what could (should) go down in history as a textbook example of how police can abuse rather than enforce child pornography law in the digital age. A 17-year-old boy "is facing felony counts of manufacturing and distributing child pornography," the Post reported. I'll let you read the Post … [Read more...] about Textbook case of what NOT to do in teen sexting cases
Remember: The ‘right to be forgotten’ is shared
A lot has been published and broadcast about Internet users' "right to be forgotten," long before and since last week's ruling by a high court in Europe (see the BBC), including the important points that… Scratching the surface. Suing a search engine to take down links to offending content doesn't mean the content itself gets taken down Who decides? A court has made search engines, of all … [Read more...] about Remember: The ‘right to be forgotten’ is shared
Cross-cultural in so many ways: Insights from ‘Digitally Connected’
It was a small but mighty gathering at Harvard's Berkman Center this week – mighty in diversity of geographical, personal and professional perspective (40% of the participants were from the global South). It was called "Digitally Connected," but it was about a more inclusive and, I think, more lasting, holistic sense of what "connected" means. It was co-organized by UNICEF and Harvard University's … [Read more...] about Cross-cultural in so many ways: Insights from ‘Digitally Connected’
A positive, insightful new book for schools on bullying
In the preface to her new book, Positive Relations @ School (& Elsewhere), author and risk-prevention educator Nancy Willard tells of a conversation with a very smart 5th grader in a dance class waiting room. She was explaining to another parent why a "rules and punishment approach" to dealing with bullying wasn't working for schools, when this other person in the waiting room piped up. "Of … [Read more...] about A positive, insightful new book for schools on bullying