Facebook snubs government demands for panic button

[Gibbo]

Facebook snubs government demands for panic button - Telegraph

 

I think it's already said that a panic button wouldn't have done anything to save Ashleigh Hall.

[OutToLunch]

Odd choice of title for the article when it also includes

 

However, Facebook has confirmed that a CEOP button will not be added to a users main home page but instead be put on the site's Safety Centre.

 

"Facebook told us they have no objection to the principle of including the CEOP button on their site and that they have now agreed to a high level meeting with CEOP in Washington on April 12 to discuss this issue further."

[TechMonkey]

What I don't understand is who is the button for? Surely if the girl had felt panicked then she wouldn't have gone & met him. If it is for others to press then it is going to generate so many false positives and revenge presses it will be pointless. It just seems like another knee jerk reaction to an unfortunate case & another attempt at a technology fix for a social/parental problem.

[webman]

Exactly. From the reports I've read, Ashleigh Hall had no reason to think she was going to get into any trouble, so would have had no cause to use such a reporting feature.

 

I'm of a mixed opinion of the CEOP reporting button. On one hand they claim they receive a lot of reports of abuse via it; but how many other people get into "situations" because they didn't feel the need to use it? I don't think installing it everywhere will be an instant solution to all the problems CEOP face.

 

The real issue in the Ashleigh Hall case, from my point of view, is how Peter Chapman was allowed Internet access and how nobody knew where he was or what he was doing, given what was known about him previously. That is what could have prevented the tragedy - not a little button that Ashleigh may or may not have clicked.

Edited March 19, 2010 by webman

[K.C.Leblanc]

It just seems like another knee jerk reaction to an unfortunate case & another attempt at a technology fix for a social/parental problem.

 

Well said,

 

We need a back to basics approach, children need to understand the proper boundaries when dealing with strangers. I was told if I was spoken to by a stranger you were civil but under no circumstance would you go with them or take sweets from them. It was drilled into me at primary school, and I suspect was no different from what my parents and grandparents had been taught.

 

Of course it's not in the SATs so I wouldn't be suppised it isn't even mentioned unless someone desided to have an 'inititive'.

[CHR1S]

I posted this on anoter forum, how would anyone actually police this witch hunt? -

 

How many users does facebook have? Lets say 500 Million acitve in a month, if 1% of those users were reported per month as potential suspects thats 5 million cases to investigate. Lets say it takes 30 minutes per case to decide if it requires further investigation - 2.5 million man hours per month. Adjust the figures as much as you like its still a huge task to attempt.

[elsiegee40]

That button is not a 'Panic' Button. This is where it links to CEOP Report Abuse

 

It links to CEOP where you can advice on various areas of concern, from Viruses to Sexual Abuse. If you are concerned about sexual abuse, you can read advice and then take it a step further and report your concerns if necessary. Take a look, it's not like dialling 999 - you won't get into trouble unless you report something and it's not a real concern.

 

The button can be incorporated into any website, even those without Social Networking content. For example, it's on CBBC Stay Safe. Children are now being taught to recognise when things aren't right and to click on that button if they are anxious. It doesn't have to be on the site where they are anxious.

 

We are going to incorporate it on our school website. To do this, you need to register your site and once it's been OKed, they'll email you the link to the graphic. (It took about an hour for us to get the OK)

 

It may not have saved Ashleigh, but had she been taught about e-Safety and how to recognise the danger signs, she may have been looked for it.

 

I always tell people that if they can't find the button to Google 'CEOP Report', they'll get the same thing.

[Michael]

What I don't understand is who is the button for? Surely if the girl had felt panicked then she wouldn't have gone & met him.

 

I couldn't of put it better myself. I've also questioned how effective the button genuinely is. Even if CEOP receive reports from someone who feels threatened, what exactly is the procedure? Facebook has over 400 million users and over 8 million hits a day.

 

Education is definitely the way forward, not so much a button to combat the nature of these problems.

[TechMonkey]

Right, I know about that button but the way it is being reported (I know, bad sign straight away) is a large red switch to whack when you feel worried.

 

It may not have saved Ashleigh, but had she been taught about e-Safety and how to recognise the danger signs, she may have been looked for it.

 

This I think is more an issue. But I also have a problem with e-safety, why is it not just part of the general personal safety taught like the old stranger danger. That stuff holds true with online as it does off line. I don't think it should be segregated. But, that is just me.

 

Though I think the issue webman brought up is the crux of it.

[witch]

Well said,

I was told if I was spoken to by a stranger you were civil but under no circumstance would you go with them or take sweets from them. It was drilled into me at primary school, and I suspect was no different from what my parents and grandparents had been taught.

 

I was taught this too, but it was of limited use even then as the sort of 'strangers' that could be dangerous are likely to have extra info (eg your name, or the name of another friend, or they know where you live, or similar) which makes a child feel that they are NOT strangers.

That is the problem with places like Facebook - they are so 'chatty' that the children use them do not think of the people they 'meet' as strangers - so teaching them to be careful is that much more difficult

[Gibbo]

Maybe we should warn them that Facebook gives you cancer:

 

How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer | Mail Online

[GrumbleDook]

Instead of saying that the button would not have saved Ashleigh, consider it instead of yet another tool that can be an option for someone to use if they have a concern.

 

There will not be a single solution for dealing with all of this ... but there will be a number of different ones which will work better if they are consistent in message. Having Facebook say "nah ... just use our report process and we might eventually do something" when pretty much everyone else is jumping on board is a bit stupid. *That* has been the problem ... which FB look to be addressing.

 

It is there to support the education of people ... not there to patch over the cracks.

[elsiegee40]

But I also have a problem with e-safety, why is it not just part of the general personal safety taught like the old stranger danger. That stuff holds true with online as it does off line. I don't think it should be segregated. But, that is just me.

It shouldn't be. Schools are required to have integrated Safeguarding Children policies. e-Safety forms part odf it along with, Child Protection, Handling Children, etc.

 

Children should be taught how to be safe at school and the skills to continue to be safe outside it. We teach e-Safety as part of PSHE and integrate stranger danger, road safety, etc... with the little ones especially, it's very much one messsage.

 

Instead of saying that the button would not have saved Ashleigh, consider it instead of yet another tool that can be an option for someone to use if they have a concern.

 

There will not be a single solution for dealing with all of this ... but there will be a number of different ones which will work better if they are consistent in message. Having Facebook say "nah ... just use our report process and we might eventually do something" when pretty much everyone else is jumping on board is a bit stupid. *That* has been the problem ... which FB look to be addressing.

 

It is there to support the education of people ... not there to patch over the cracks.

 

I agree. Pedestrian crossings aren't scrapped because children should be taught how to cross the road. The button is just part of the strategy for enabling people to keep children safe.

[Duane_Dibbley]

Maybe we should warn them that Facebook gives you cancer:

 

How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer | Mail Online

 

AAAAAAhahahahahahahah! Hilarious! The headline is "How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer", yet the article mentions it once and not even specifically. LOVE IT

[webman]

Further to the original Facebook-CEOP topic, The Register has a good piece on it.

 

Facebook stands up to UK.gov's cyberbullying ? The Register

 

Also interesting are the comments.

[WithoutMotive]

I've just had a look at the Help for Educators section on Facebook. On it is a barrage of example questions such as, "What do I do if I receive abusive messages?", etc.

The answer to the majority of these questions is a rewording of "Click the Report this Person/Group/Message link" and, also, hidden in the middle of one of these is the CEOP "Panic Button".

 

I'm just wondering what would be quicker if you were concerned about messages, etc., you were receiving. What would get things done more effectively? Clicking the CEOP link to take you to a bunch of advisory pages? Or clicking the Report links which, in some cases, blocks the person responsible and reports it to Facebook.

 

The term "panic button" should be changed because that gives the impression of instant reporting and resolution, as if clicking on it would make everything OK again. Quite misleading, possibly?

[creese]

If this unfortunate and naive girl had the sense to press a 'panic button' she would also have the sense not to meet this man. I fail to see what any type of reporting would have done to helped her. The government and CEOPs case revolves around this. I have not heard one single journalist mention this obvious fact, except The Recorder.