Current Issues of the Internet for Children and Youth Were Discussed in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation

October 9, 2012, the Current Issues of the Internet for Children and Youth Today – Tomorrow Can Be Late Round Table Discussion was held at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. RU-CENTER, the Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development and the Coordination Center of national domains organized this event. The round table discussion became a part of the fourth Positive Content Contest for Websites for children, teenagers and youth 2012 and it was supported by the Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development.

The participants of the Round table identified a number of issues for the discussion: passive interaction of the state, public organizations, business and individuals in creating positive content; insufficient funding for the development of websites for children and teenagers and the declined quality of the projects nominated for the Positive content contest. The fact that all the recent governmental initiatives in the area of the Internet are prohibitative was discussed as well.

"Only restrictive measures will not solve the problems," said Olga Kostina, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Soprotivlenie Rights Movement. Together with the restriction of the dangerous content, the government has to promote the websites that family, teachers and children need." Olga Kostina pointed to the possibility of promoting positive content with the methods that are available for the children such as the information placement on school notebooks and textbooks, so that the useful adresses are always on hand.

Representative of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Philip Gurov, assured the audience that it was being worked in this direction. The development of the children's part of the Культура.рф portal and the historical portal for the schools and universities has begun. Philip Gurov added that the ministers are interested in using the information of the Positive content contest, in which the resources were chosen that can be recommended to the institutions of education and culture.

Executive Director of the Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development, Matvey Alekseev noted that the Foundation has currently determined three main areas for the promotion of positive content quality:

  1. The implementation of a national solution "White Internet" based on the .MOSCOW/.МОСКВА and .ДЕТИ new top-level domains.

    By the moment of application approval for domain zones on the basis of these technological solutions a local intranet test for children and teenagers can be created. The selection of resources for top-level domains is the most cost-effective and convenient option for the educational institutions. For example, 630.ШКОЛА.МОСКВА. It would create a clear information structure of the educational system in the capital: each Moscow school will have it's official third-level domain, built on the same system and standard architecture.

  2. The initiative to create the departments of "General information technologies".

    The Foundation is currently implementing the first educational project in conjunction with the courses on interactive communication development and Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. The course on information security is being developed. The audience will learn about the interaction of the communication features of the Internet, threats and hazards, that the end users usually do not know about. This project takes it's roots at the Seliger 2012 International Youth Forum, where the Foundation's representatives told the guests about the structure and principles of work of the Global Network.

  3. Close contacts with the authorities.

    It is not a secret that over the past six months a several draft laws have been proposed, regulating the rights on the Internet (Federal Law 436, 139, etc.). The Foundation's specialists believe that the algorithm, that will break the balance, formed over years of the Internet can appear only in the dialogue between the industry and the state. This is why the Foundation has recently entered the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC), having become it's hundredth member and takes an active part in the work of RAEC Committees. This work will help to use the combined experience to create legal frameworks of conflict regulation, especially in those situations where children are threatened.

English

11.10.2012

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