21 August 2006
Just one click away - CEOP and Microsoft Partnership makes reporting potential sex offenders easier in MSN and Windows Live Messenger
Millions of young people in the UK who use Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger to chat online with friends are now just one click away from making a report to police if they are concerned their online ‘buddy’ is a sex offender.
Microsoft’s partnership with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – the UK’s first dedicated organisation focused on tackling child sex abuse – has brought about a new ‘safer-by-design’ element to the UK’s most popular instant messenger product.
The move sees the incorporation of a new Messenger tab and features the CEOP Centre’s distinctive “report abuse” icon which links users in the UK directly to online police services. This allows young people and adults to report suspicious behaviour and instances of inappropriate contact of a sexual nature they have encountered whilst chatting in this virtual environment.
And the service doesn’t end there. Through the icon and link to the CEOP web site, users from anywhere in the world can access the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) – an international alliance of law enforcement agencies – of which the CEOP Centre is the UK’s representative.
The tab will appear on both MSN Messenger, and its replacement, Windows Live Messenger. As well as a ‘one click’ link through to a report to the police, each week, CEOP and Microsoft will provide a new safety tip as part of the tab, for example, how to safeguard your personal details or to how to spot a potential threat.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre and Chair of the VGT takes up the story.
What Microsoft and the CEOP are doing today is saying is ‘enough is enough’. By working together in a very clear and tangible way we can safeguard children from online sexual predators.
Behind the report abuse button will sit police and intelligence officers who have been specially trained to tackle child sex abuse. We will tell you how to capture information and how to seize online discussions and then proactively do all we can to track down the perpetrator.
But there is a lot more to this. CEOP is an integral part of the VGT and therefore by working with MSN in this way we are offering users access to a global police response. If you make a report as a UK citizen then we at CEOP will investigate. If you make a report as a user from other countries then our counterparts in the US, Australia, Canada or Interpol will take the matter further. That is a truly global response to a worldwide issue.
Carrie Bogner, Senior Director, Citizenship, Windows Live said;
We take the safety and security of young people online very seriously. People can already control who they do and don’t allow onto their Messenger buddy list – the new CEOP tab launched today is another safety feature that will make Windows Live and MSN Messenger safer still.
What we are doing here is true partnership in action. As a global industry partner of the CEOP Centre and the VGT we can bring our understanding of the global nature of the internet and online communications with the knowledge and experiences of law enforcement to better protect children in our online space.
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. The CEOP Centre works in both online and offline environments and full information on all areas of work as well as online safety messages and access to online reporting can be found at www.ceop.gov.uk.
2. The CEOP Centre is affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and powers are derived from the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. It is based in Pimlico, London with developing outreach channels to all areas of both domestic and international policing as well as industry and specialist support and educational faculties.
3. The Virtual Global Taskforce icon is now linked to over 4,000 websites across the internet and www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com has received over 550,000 visitors (2.5 million hits) since its launch in January 2005. Virtual Global Taskforce is an international alliance of law enforcement agencies consisting of: The Australian Federal Police; US Dept for Homeland Security; Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the UKs Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and Interpol.
4. The Virtual Global Taskforces works to make the internet a safer place for children and young people
About MSN and Windows Live
MSN® attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide.
Windows Live, a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live is available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com. MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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For more information, please contact:
Nicola Spear
The Red Consultancy
020 7025 6510
nicola.spear@redconsultancy.com