SENATOR Mike Crapo (Cyber Bullying Law)

1. IDAHO SENATOR – MIKE CRAPO
FROM: http://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/release_full.cfm?id=274547&&year=2007&-20k
In accordance with Federal Laws provided For Educational and Information Purposes – i.e. of PUBLIC Interest
News Release
CRAPO SUPPORTS AWARENESS OF INTERNET SAFETY
June Internet Safety Month passes Senate
Contact: Susan Wheeler
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Washington, DC - In an annual effort to raise awareness of the dangers of
Internet predation, the United States Senate unanimously passed a
resolution declaring June "National Internet Safety Month," Idaho Senator
Mike Crapo, who supports the effort, said. "Cyber criminal behavior has
taken many forms, including sexual predation, intellectual property theft,
cyber terrorism, plagiary, viruses and cyber-bullying. As the Internet
continues to expand and reach more people, especially youth and the
elderly, awareness and prevention of these crimes is paramount. National
statistics show that 35 million children from kindergarten to grade 12 have
Internet access. One in seven youth ages 10 to 17 received a sexual
solicitation or approach over the Internet. While the Internet is becoming
almost invaluable for many communication, business and research
functions, it's imperative that children, teens and parents realize and
prepare for the dangers that exist online."
"Efforts are already underway in Idaho and seven other states to decrease
the threat of online sexual predation," continued Crapo. "Earlier this week,
eight states, including Idaho, sent a letter to the online social networking
giant, MySpace, asking that it turn over the information of known sex

2. offenders who use the site. I applaud these efforts which will help
safeguard our children's Internet use, but also reiterate that the parents are
absolutely the first line of defense."
S. Res. 205, declaring June National Internet Safety Month, calls attention
to the need for awareness about threats posed by the Internet. The
resolution encourages safe and responsible Internet usage and calls on law
enforcement, parents, educators, community leaders and volunteers to
continue their good efforts in this area and encourages expanded
prevention and awareness training.
National statistics on children's use of the Internet and Internet sexual
predation show that: • Sixty-one percent of students admit to using the
Internet unsafely or inappropriately. • Twenty percent of middle and high
school students have met face-to-face with someone they first met online. •
Thirty-one percent of those age K - 12 who use the Internet have the skill
to circumvent Internet filtering software. • Thirty-four percent of youth
ages 10 - 17 had an unwanted exposure to sexual material— nudity and
sexual acts. • Only 27 percent of the youth who encountered unwanted
sexual material told a parent or guardian. • Thirty-six percent of "dual
offenders," defined as those who had both sexually victimized children and
were in possession of child pornography, sent child pornography to law
enforcement posing as children online. • Pedophiles operate more than
10,000 web sites, and hundreds more are created monthly.
For more information on Internet safety and Internet Safety Month, please
go to my website: http://crapo.senate.gov.
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