Gore calls for child-safe Net

The internet industry has offered initiatives to make the Net a safe environment for children, in response to a declaration by US vice president Al Gore that the government will adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards pornographers on the Web.

Gore made his announcement on the opening day of a Washington DC conference, which was mounted after president Clinton warned that unless the industry put its own house in order, the US Congress would impose regulations on it. Gore repeated that threat last week when he warned internet companies: 'You must do more. You must make solutions that actually work for the families in this country. You have a lot at stake.'

He added: 'Industry will never be able to meet those needs unless it devotes the same resources and commitment to parental controls that it would devote to the design and launch of a new product.'

Gore also announced a national public education campaign called America Links Up: An Internet Teach-In. Using the slogan 'think, then link', the campaign will encourage the active involvement of parents and teachers in monitoring their children's use of the Net.

Gore was the keynote speaker at the conference, sponsored by companies with vested interests in the internet including America Online and Warner Brothers. Many of the companies used the conference to announce their own initiatives for self regulation.

America Online is to expand its blocking option so parents can restrict access to material. A teenage-specific 13 to 15 category is to be added to the existing kid, teen and 18-plus ratings currently on offer. It will also create a 'notify AOL' button to allow subscribers to report 'inappropriate activity' in chat rooms, emails and Websites.

Microsoft, AT&T and MCI have launched a variety of campaigns aimed at educating parents and providing child-suitable sites.