[February 05, 2013]

Have YOU Taken the Pledge? A Platform for Good Asks Internet Users to Use Their Online Power for Good

A Platform for Good (PfG), a project of The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), is asking everyone to pledge to use their power for good. The launch of A Pledge for Good coincides with Safer Internet Day, an international event which aims to help make the online community a safer, more respectful place.

The pledge consists of a simple but powerful statement: "I will use my power for good," and will support teens and parents in using the Internet to create a movement of positive interactions - from reaching out to old friends, sharing compliments, or becoming virtual volunteers.

Pledge participants will be able to use the PfG website to access a comprehensive list of creative ideas and resources to help them do good online. Participants will be able to post their commitment to their Twitter (News - Alert) feeds (using hashtag #pfgpledge) and Facebook pages to show their promise to make the Internet a more positive place.

A recent study released by FOSI on the Online Generation Gap found that the majority of teens feel safe online and their parents agree. Ninety five percent of teens feel they are at least somewht safe online and ninety four percent of parents feel their teens are at least somewhat safe online. Additionally, the study found that teens take steps to protect their privacy online: among teens who use social networks, 81 percent report having used privacy settings on their account, 65 percent have set limits on who they share their posts with and 50 percent have unfriended someone due to an offensive post. By taking the pledge, parents and teens can continue to foster a supportive online environment.

"A Pledge for Good enables positive actions to become more visible online. This visibility creates a ripple effect to support and encourage more positive acts of good," said Stephen Balkam the CEO of FOSI. "Our goal with a Platform for Good has always been to change fear into opportunity and by taking A Pledge for Good, we all have the opportunity to make the Internet a more constructive, fun place to interact and participate."

In addition to launching the pledge in the United States, FOSI is also celebrating Safer Internet Day around the world. FOSI's Global Resource and Information Directory (GRID) is an online portal that monitors, tracks and provides commentary on the efforts of countries around the world to make the Internet safer for their citizens. Today, GRID will 'Celebrate Digital Africa!' and for the first time, make available in the database all 55 countries in Africa, comprising research, education initiatives, legislation and active organizations.

About A Platform for Good

A Platform for Good (PfG) is a project of the Family Online Safety Institute, designed to help parents, teachers and teens connect, share and do good online. PfG aims to start a dialogue about what it means to participate responsibly in our digital world and, while recognizing the potential risks, celebrates technology as a vehicle for opportunity and social change. PfG is sponsored by Facebook, Google, Microsoft, AT&T, Disney (News - Alert), NCTA, Sprint, Symantec, Verizon and Yahoo!, with support from the MacArthur Foundation. Visit PfG online at http://www.aplatformforgood.org.

About FOSI

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods that also respect free speech. FOSI is a trusted, international convener, bringing together leaders in government, industry and the nonprofit sectors to collaborate and innovate new solutions in child safety in a Web 2.0 world. FOSI's members include: AOL, AT&T, BAE Systems Detica, BT Retail, Comcast, Disney, Entertainment Software Association, Facebook, France Telecom, Google (News - Alert), GSM Association, Microsoft, Mind Candy, Motion Picture Association of America, NCTA, Nominum, Sprint, Symantec, Time Warner Cable, Telecom Italia, Telefónica (News - Alert), Telstra, The Cyber Guardian, The Wireless Foundation, Trend Micro, Verizon and Yahoo!. For more information, visit www.fosi.org.

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