Two new online-safety projects

They tackle the challenge of protecting online kids on two levels: in the home and at the strategic level. The household part is addressed with a new "4-1-1" service at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Up until now, the Center's CyberTipline.com has offered the public more of a "9-1-1" service in the area of child exploitation. Now it's covering the info-gathering part of the picture, NCMEC CEO Ernie Allen told BlogSafety.com's Larry Magid in an interview for CBS News. At the strategic level is the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), launched this week in Washington, D.C., and next week in London. Basically designed to foster and promote the best thinking in children's online safety, "the Institute will bring together the leading thinkers, innovative technologies, effective educators, and enlightened legislators to make [safety awareness] a reality," said its CEO, Stephen Balkam. On the tech front, the Institute will fold in and carry on the work of ICRA, the Internet Content Rating Association (Larry Magid and I are serving on FOSI's advisory council, so we have a bias about this development). Here's Larry's article at CBS News.