Dell to Help Keep Kids Safe From Internet

Dell today announced its participation in a national campaign for Internet safety created to help keep children safe online.

Dell’s association with the Internet Keep Safe Coalition is part of the company’s continuing commitment to providing all customers with a safe and secure Internet experience.

The campaign features “Faux Paw the Techno Cat(SM),” a new cultural icon that takes children through Internet adventures, teaching them the essential rules of Internet safety. The Faux Paw(SM) materials were created with input from McGruff the Crime Dog(R) from the National Council on Crime Prevention, the FBI Internet Safety Taskforce, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, early childhood educators and childhood psychologists.

The First Ladies and Gentlemen of 46 states, along with child safety and law enforcement officials and corporate sponsors, launched the coalition’s iKeepSafe campaign today at the National Press Club here.

iKeepSafe is a state-supported educational program featuring “Faux Paw the Techno Cat” Internet instruction that uses children’s books, public service announcements and Web materials to emphasize three simple easily remembered tips to help keep children safe online:

        1) KEEP your personal information protected: never give anyone
           online your real name, address, phone number, the name of
           your school, or picture of yourself.

        2) DON’T MEET anyone in person you’ve met online.

        3) TELL a parent or trusted adult if you see or receive
           anything on the computer that makes you feel uncomfortable.

“As a trusted customer advocate, Dell’s partnership in iKeepSafe further extends our commitment to ensuring that people of all ages understand how to have safe and secure interactions on the Internet,” said Karen Bruett, director of Dell’s Education and Community Initiatives. “Faux Paw and her three tips will be easy for children to remember and use if they feel threatened online. Dell is educating our customers about this program because we believe effective customer education and awareness is one of the most critical steps the industry can take to curtail the spread of all online threats.”

Marsali Hancock, president of the Internet Keep Safe Coalition, added, “This is an unprecedented coalition of people and organizations with a shared priority of protecting children from Internet predators. This growing threat to children is entirely preventable if we just teach children to protect themselves.”

Other Dell Internet safety and security initiatives include the company’s “Know the Net” education program, its Consumer Essentials program with the National Consumers League and its computer Security campaign. Dell last year launched a Consumer Spyware Initiative with the Internet Education Foundation as part of a broader security initiative. Dell knows that a safe, satisfying experience is basic to consumer acceptance and expanded use of the Internet.