Microsoft raises online child safety awareness with IE8

Microsoft Philippines stepped up its campaign against child pornography in the country by holding an IE8 8-Mile Run on Sunday at the Global City The Fort in Taguig.

Joined by hundreds of people from all walks of life, Microsoft, in line with the launch of its new web browser Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), staged the event with an aim to raise awareness on Online Child Safety.

Microsoft said part of the proceeds of the run would be donated to United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), in support of its Child Protection Program.

“The safety of children is our top concern and through this campaign we are getting more people involved in this cause and we hope to have a better and stronger chance of protecting more children from potential threats.” said Rafael Rollan, outgoing general manager for Microsoft Philippines, in a press statement.

“We are committed to playing our part in increasing awareness and cultivating partnerships that address issues like this and we are joining families as they take a stand for the protection of Filipino children,” Rollan added.

For its part, Unicef continues to urge the public to make a noise and help prevent the spread of child pornography. “The Philippines has no comprehensive law at the moment to prevent the spread of child pornography and the problem in the region and the country is getting far worse,” said Vanessa Tobin, Unicef representative.

According to the recent figures of Unicef, a single child pornography sites receives at least a million hits a month and some 100,000 pedophiles are involved in organized pornography. The figures also showed that victims of the pornography are becoming younger, with 80 percent of those victims estimated to be less than 10 years of age.

Thus, Tobin said, Unicef, along with other child rights advocates, is now working for the immediate passage of the anti-child pornography bill. Once the bill is passed, she said, it would be “a great achievement for efforts to protect children and prevent the problem escalating even further.”

Tobin said Internet has become a new playground for pedophiles and sex offenders. Hence, she thanked Microsoft in its campaign to make the Internet safe for children. “The use of children and young people in pornographic materials is a grave violation of their rights, whatever their role in the process. The Philippines is believed to be one of the producers of pornographic material involving children,” she said.

Putting the safety of children in cyberspace among their concerns, Chay Saputil, product manager for Windows Client, said “As part of our efforts to increase online security, we have introduced new features in Internet Explorer 8 that addresses user’s concerns about online safety.” –Cris G. Ordonia, Reporter, Manila Times