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By Jon Gripton
news.sky.com
April 13, 2010
Facebook has announced an overhaul of its online safety measures that include the
redesign of its abuse reporting system.
But the web giant is still blocking calls from Britain's child protection agency to
add "panic buttons" to its pages.
Facebook officials and members of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre held a four-hour meeting in Washington.
Facebook says it will improve cooperation with police and invest £5m in education
and awareness.
But the company has not announced the installation of a panic button on every page
as CEOP had urged it to do.
CEOP's Jim Gamble said the website did not agree to his demands outright at a
meeting in Washington. But he felt Facebook was moving in the right direction.
(Facebook) are experts at creating a fantastic online environment but they are not
experts in law enforcement.
CEOP's Jim Gamble
He said: "I am more optimistic than when I came. They are not saying, 'No,' that is
very clear. But they were equally direct and they came with their own agenda.
"There is no doubt they are looking to improve their position around child safety
and we recognise that. What I am looking for is turning words into action."
The showdown came after Facebook refused to include a panic button on its pages
following the conviction of a serial rapist who used the site to meet an
unsuspecting teenage girl.
Peter Chapman posed as a young boy to lure 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall to her death in
the North East.
Calls have since grown for the inclusion of the buttons - which allow youngsters who
feel threatened online to quickly contact a number of sources of help, like CEOP or
anti-bullying helplines.
Politicians, police and anti-bullying groups are outraged that the online giant has
so far ignored demands to include the system.
Facebook says its "comprehensive initiative" is designed to better protect its 23
million British users and to give them greater control over their safety online.
Director of policy, Richard Allen, told Sky News: "It's not just about a button.
There needs to be a safety net, and each website does it in the way that works for
them.
"There are bad people about and we want to get them off our site. And we are going
to put CEOP messages right across our site.
"We know how to build websites," he added.
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