ITU Council Working Group on Child Online Protection
République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire
Ministère de la Poste et Des Technologies de l’Information
et de la Communication
Algérie Télécom
Council Working Groupon
ITU Council Working Group on Child Online Protection
Second meeting: 11 June 2010
Report and Comments
06/07/2010
Mme R. BOUHADDA
Algérie Télécom
I- Introduction
Since their emergence, the immaterial tools of information and communication are building the most extraordinary development of technologies in human being history. In some years, the Internet became a tool of exchange between hundreds of million Internet users in the world who are connecting from their home or from public places. The children must not be kept out of this amazing revolution. They must be able to use the Internet and express themselves safely.
In front of these technological evolutions, the protection of the child as a Web user was often darkened in the profit of commercial interests. The fascination for this «Internet revolution» which risks to be harmful for these young children and teenagers makes us to become aware of the danger and set up prevention and protection policies.
It is henceforth a question of integrating into the protection of the child on Internet an education in the media, and delivering a learning which, without neglecting the advantages of the internet, would forget nevertheless the risks and particularly those to whom children could be confronted.
The parents feel sometimes deprived in front of Internet in particular when they have not a tool of protection which constitutes an indispensable but not the unique support of risk prevention on Internet.
Discovering Internet within families is made in a way enough little organized: although the parents declare themselves perceptible to the risks of exposure in shocking contents incurred by their children on the Internet and are so worried by " the risk for the children to go on sites or to meet inappropriate ", the young people, on the other hand, do not perceive spontaneously the internet as a place of "dangers" or "risks" and undergo the charm of the network without measuring always the elements of risks
While the Internet is to become the reference media of the young people in the domestic or school frame, while the number of users of the Internet always goes growing allowing the young people to reach the Web mainly from their place of residence or cybercafés in particular and when the Internet connection of primary, secondary schools and training centers increases; some contents and manners awaken the anxiety: pornographic or violent images, pornographic spams, doubtful advertisements making apology of all the crimes, illicit acts and terrorism;
II- Situation in Algeria
In Algeria, there are 3 millions of fixed line subscribers who can have direct Internet Access through the dial up service in addition of 670000 ADSL broadband subscribers by end of June 2010. There are also 30 millions of mobile subscribers eligible for a mobile broadband connection. Algeria counts 2135 local departments connected to Internet Broadband (1541 communes + 546 Dairas +48 Wilayas). Thus Algerian people can connect to Internet via 7000 spaces of Internet access (cybercafés and libraries) and we aim in the frame of the “e-Algerie” ICT strategy to reach 6 million of internet subscribers by 2013.
The result of the continual increasing of Internet network, more children are connected and often without protection.
According to a study in Algeria, many children became accustomed to cybercafés when their parents have no idea what their children are doing on the Net and moreover they encourage them to frequent cybercafés in summer,
According to the legal and judicial Research center (CRJJ), the number of children victims of cyber intimidation is growing. They receive nasty messages or were the object of humiliating images on the Net.
II-1 The Action Plan relating to Child Online Protection
The commitment of the national ICT policy is fundamental in our country. It is about one of the essential instruments in the implementation of the program of development, which is highly based on four major guidelines:
· The consolidation of Serene Algeria,
· The improvement of the good governance,
· The pursuit of the human development,
· And The increase of the dynamics of the economic growth
That’s why the child welfare appears in Algeria as a major political objective in particular through the ratification of Algeria of the international Agreement on the children rights which dedicates the child as a specific person to protect.
The promulgation of the Law N° 09-04 of August 5th, 2009 which describes particular rules relating to the prevention against the malpractices connected to information and communication technologies confirms this vision.
The creation of the cybercriminal fighting and prevention center came to reinforce the current procedures and in order to face more efficiently the cybercrime, 100 magistrates and 50 cyber-investigators of the Criminal Investigation Department were trained to fight effectively against the electronic crime. They received high quality training in the United States, France and Belgium.
In May 2009, the ministry of the Post and ICT have signed with the National Federation of pupils parents: “La Charte Internet” : Rules and good practices in using Internet,
At the same date, an agreement has been signed by five ministries:
· National Defense (MDN),
· Interior and Local collectivities (MICL),
· Education (MEN)
· Family and Women issues, (MDCFCF)
· Poste and ICT (MPTIC)
In view of the terms of the agreement, an ad hoc committee was created in November 2009 in charge of elaborating an action plan relating to child online protection
The created group has the following missions:
· to identify the risks and the dangers to which are exposed(explained) the children in cyberspace
· to propose awareness-raising activities and protection
· to define the mechanisms of implementation of these actions(shares)
· to elaborate a final recommendation report
· Inform the children of their vulnerability and the risks in the cyberspace
· Incite the parents to be attentive and aware
· Propose and develop particular tools to minimize the risks
II-2 Ministerial ad hoc committee recommendation revue
The legislative and statutory texts must be reinforced, completed and supported by a national mobilization through the institution of a dialogue at every level - government to communities, to families and to children – in order to promote mentalities and practices which would contribute to protect the young people.
The committee recommended also to introduce awareness-raising activities towards children, parents, teachers, educators and cybercafés managers.
It is also very important to associate press to participate actively in awareness rising about children online protection.
Parents have to strengthen the dialogue on the subject with their children.
Several actions planned
· the supply of a parental control solution
· Set up an awareness campaign with participation of Algerian sportsmen (women) or fame personalities esteemed by the young people.
· Coordination and exchange experiences through opened doors, radio and broadcast reports and as well as press articles.
· Create a toll-free number to allow people and particularly children to report abuses or cybercriminal acts
· Integrate the contents of the Internet Charter (some rules and good manners) as educational unit in the primary, average and secondary education program.
· Encourage the creation of themes in connection with rules of use of the Internet in plays, tales and Comics intended to children
· Special action for Cybercafés
Cybercafés remain the only point of access to Internet for many citizens. So, the implementation of a charter "quality" for cybercafés will avoid harmful use of the Internet and possible drift,
«The cybercafé " is invited to adhere to the ICT sector strategy and contributes therefore, at the local level, to the effort of technological development and digital divide reduction.
In return, we have to support these spaces, to transform them into information and knowledge access centers, to involve them in a national training program for the benefit of the citizens in the field of information and communication technologies
II-3 The participation of Algérie Télécom in Child Online Protection
· Since 2007, Algeria Telecom has launched a national operation of Cyberspace with children dedicated spaces,
· In April 2009, the ADSL internet connection modems were delivered with an integrated parental control solution
· In May, 2009: elaboration and publication of the Internet charter
· In May, 2010 a Partnership was settled between Algérie Télécom and a private enterprise UNIDEES Algeria in order to jointly launch an awareness campaign relating the secure use of the Internet by children[1]
The internet is a new space of sociability: it is carrying big hopes, in terms of access to the knowledge, emancipation and democracy. It is also a place where some activities or practices are susceptible to threaten young people. The objective of these recommendations is not to underline the importance of the risks in order to present the network as a new threat for the children. The recommendations join the fundamental development objectives by building the internet civility .
This will is confirmed once more by the MPTIC, through signed agreements with some ministerial departments like youth and the sports as well as the national solidarity. Those agreements intend to accelerate the appropriation of the ICT tools by all the citizens, in particular the young people, by the development of the existing public spaces.
These points of access will facilitate the reduction of digital divide, elimination of illiteracy and will guarantee, for the young children and the teenagers, the equality to access training an safe connection..
The use of ICT is a right for everyone. Let us avoid making it a tool of depravity of our youth.
III- Comments and recommendations :
DRAFTOutcome of the Second Meeting of the Council Working Group
on Child Online Protection
1- Comments on the Draft Child Online Protection Statistical Framework and Indicators
It will be highly convenient to elaborate a common questionnaire for a Child Online Protection Statistical study which contains all sector members
The study would be led individually in every country
A consolidation can be made at CWG-CP Work level under the supervision of the ITU secretary
The results of this study could be presented during the next meeting of the CWG-CP
A program unit could be proposed with the participation of “Action Innocence”
2-Comments on the Draft report on “Social Networking Services and Policies with regard to User-Created Content”
The self-regulation in relation to ownership of user-created content should not exclude the creation of a complaints procedure in case of abuses.
3- Comments on the draft report on “The Source of Online Threats to Youth and Children”
Incite governments to integrate the orientations relating to healthy use of the Internet in courses of study of the public educational program. The program would underline the Source of Online Threats to Youth and Children and explain the prevention tools.
Second meeting: 11 June 2010
Page 6
[1] http://www.algerietelecom.dz/
http://www.djaweb.dz/securite_internet.html