Facebook will add a ‘panic button’ application for U.K. users which will report child abuse to Britain’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Facebook had initially resisted the idea, but finally agreed after months of negotiation with the CEOP, BBC reported.
Facebook was under pressure from just about everyone after a 17-year old girl was lured to her death by a 33-year old male posing as someone far younger on Facebook. Other social networking websites including Bebo and MySpace have already added the button, but Facebook had resisted the change, saying its own reporting systems were sufficient. Bebo’s button just takes you to a 7 page form – not exactly what would might call an engaging way to address this issue.
In addition to the reporting application, a new Facebook/CEOP page is being set up, with a range of topics that will be of interest to teenagers, such as celebrities, music and exams, and it will link these subjects to questions about online safety.
