Social Networks Sign European Anti-Bullying Pact

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2009 - 12:24pm.

Brussels - Facebook, MySpace and fifteen other social media sites available in Europe have signed on to an agreement proposed by the European Commission that aims to eliminate "cyber-bullying" and protect children's privacy, Reuters reported.

Under the terms, social networks will ensure that profiles of users under 18 are set to "private" by default, and are not searchable; and provide a one-click process to report abuse.

"It is an important step forward toward making our children's clicks on social networking sites safer in Europe," Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, said in a statement.

Social networks have come under great scrutiny in the U.S., where lawmakers have similarly pressed them to beef up privacy protections, and identify and delete the profiles of registered sex offenders.

http://snipurl.com/bnk6y (Reuters)