Jennifer Granholm
Presentation Summary
Jackie Smart, Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and Mary
Foster have a friendly chat before the presentation at Summit on the Park.
On January 20th, State Attorney General Jennifer Granholm
presented an informational meeting on "Internet Safety for Students." She
made many important key points:
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Michigan is one of the states leading the nation on Internet Safety and
prosecution
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Out of the top 20 software companies in the world, 19 are from the United
States! Why? Because the United States fosters creativity like no
other country in the world, which leads to a climate of entrepreneurial
motivation.
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The 2 most critical issues facing the Internet Community are privacy
and
content.
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Right now the Internet is like the Wild West without a sheriff!
Some examples of Internet criminal or destructive activities include:
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"Spoofing" – where one web site steals another site’s name; or where two
have similar names, but different parts ( NAAG.com vs. NAAG.org.)
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Hate sites – racial and ethnic hate sites are drawing more members every
day. The anonymity of the Internet allows and encourages people to do things
they would not do in public view.
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Sites like the "Anarchist Cookbook" give people exact directions on how
to commit crimes ( pick locks, make bombs, break into homes, etc.)
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Gambling can be done with your credit card number and typing in your bets.
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Alcohol can be ordered to your doorstep without proof of age.
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Lethal drug recipes are available to anyone for the asking.
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Sites, which give, people tips on self-mutilation.
Ms. Granholm is doing a lot to challenge and stop these activities. Her
office has shut down 10 Michigan drug sites, which would send drugs out
to your home without consideration of contraindications or proof of prescription
from a doctor. She also has worked on many other high profile consumer
issues, such as the Abercrombie and Fitch catalog controversy, forcing
them to agree to ask for proof of age before giving out their catalog to
minors.
She emphasized that her office, which has over 300 attorneys, is there
for us and for the State of Michigan. She encouraged us to
send her office any consumer complaints or concerns.
The Internet is here to stay and will be used more and more by everyone.
There are some possible things to do to make it a safer environment for
all:
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Subscribe to sites, which filter out inappropriate sites for minors, such
as Yahooligans, Net Nanny, Edustock, Sugar and Spies.
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Support industry limitations on sites coming in, according to age of the
user.
An important sidenote: When questioned by an audience member, Ms. Granholm
pledged to support allowing only certified educators to teach in Michigan
schools!
Mary Foster
Professional Affairs Chairman