“Social networking sites, popular among young people, have quickly gained members and appeal, but also act as a magnet for those who would prey on the young,” New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said.

Under the terms of the settlement, Facebook has agreed to begin addressing any complaint within 24 hours of being told of inappropriate content — involving such things as nudity, profanity or harassment — by a user or e-mail correspondent.

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A new study has revealed that one in five young people had met up with someone they first encountered on the internet. While only 7% of the 500 parents surveyed  said they were aware that their children were contacting people online, and then meeting them. The survey was conducted by Garlik, a provider of online information  protection services.

Meeting ‘internet friends’ is never a good idea. Without physical information – seeing the person you are talking to, or hearing their voice, positive identification is extremely difficult. Therefore, we need to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and tools to protect themselves online, in the same way we would in the real world. NetIDme provides an age and identity verification service for online communities that want to ensure their members ‘are who they say they are’.