Connecticut Attorney General's Office

Press Release

Attorney General Urges Facebook To Take Stronger Steps To Protect Kids

October 16, 2007

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said today that Facebook must go beyond its settlement with New York by implementing even stronger measures making its web site safer for children. Blumenthal co-chairs the national social networking task force of all 50 attorneys general with Attorney General Roy Cooper of North Carolina.

Blumenthal called New York's settlement a step forward, but added that the company needs to do more. The task force is expected to urge:

• Requiring age and identity verification for users 18 and older, and parental permission for users younger than 18.

• Implementing filtering technology to screen out sexually explicit, racist, violent or other mature images and significantly increasing the number of staff reviewing such images.

• Prohibiting sexually explicit and other inappropriate word and phrase searches.

• Hiding minors' profiles from adults.

• Limiting minors' search options.

• Removing inappropriate advertising targeting minors.

• Barring minors from accessing sexually orientated and other inappropriate web site groups.

"New York's settlement with Facebook is a step forward, but giant strides are needed to make the site safer," Blumenthal said. "We will demand that Facebook take powerful, practical measures -- age and identity verification, parental consent, purging inappropriate content, restrictions on minor access to inappropriate material. Dramatic, drastic changes must better shield children from sexual predators, unsuitable content and unsafe adults.

"Much more must be done to protect children on Facebook. Our national coalition will continue fighting to make Facebook and other social networking sites safer. We will explore all options -- including possible legal action."