MySpace Launches Internet Safety Campaign with Parents' and School Administrators' Internet Safety Guides

Business Wire, Sept 25, 2006

Largest Lifestyle Portal Partners with Seventeen Magazine, National School Board Association and the National Association of Independent Schools in Ongoing Internet Safety Educational Campaign

Campaign Kicks off National Cyber Security Awareness Month

LOS ANGELES -- MySpace.com, the leading social networking and lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering culture, announced today the launch of an Internet safety campaign with the publication and distribution of Parents' and School Administrators' Guides to Internet Safety. The launch, a strategic partnership with Seventeen Magazine, the National School Board Association and the National Association of Independent Schools, supports the third annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, a nationwide effort to educate Internet users about safe online practices.

"We're committed to doing everything we can to improve internet safety," said Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer of MySpace. "While technology plays a critical role in tackling the challenges of Internet safety, any measures must be part of a comprehensive solution, and education is an essential component." Nigam continued, "We're pleased to enlist experts such as Seventeen magazine, the National School Board Association and the National Association of Independent Schools to continue a productive dialogue on safe Web practices."

Through the partnership with Seventeen magazine, MySpace will target parents, teens and teachers and offer tips, suggestions and information on safe Internet behavior. Seventeen's editor-in-chief, Atoosa Rubenstein, will help MySpace communicate this information to teens and parents through her highly-trafficked profile (http://www.myspace.com/atoosas).

"The Internet and social networking are part of the fabric of this generation's daily life," said Seventeen's Rubenstein. "Parents and teachers already keep an eye on a teen's friends at school or night time plans, but they need to keep the same tabs on their digital lives. We all need to do our part to keep teens safe."

The Parents' Guide to Internet Safety will help define MySpace for parents and answer questions about social networks and the Internet in general. Guide topics will include how members use MySpace, information on company safety practices and Seventeen's Web safety tips for teens. The Parents' Guide is available for download from MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/safetytips in the "Tips for Parents" section.

The School Administrators' Guide to Internet Safety is being distributed in October in conjunction with the National School Board Association (NSBA) in celebration of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This Guide explains how MySpace works and addresses the various challenges that students and educators may face in relation to the Website. MySpace will work with the NSBA to send out the guide to approximately 55,000 public school administrators representing grades 7 through 12. Additionally, MySpace is also working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to disseminate the Guide to independent schools.

The Parents' and School Administrators' Internet Safety Guides will join MySpace's best practices including safety-enabling technology such as heightened security settings for younger users and full privacy options for all members. Additionally, MySpace relies on its industry partnerships with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Common Sense Media to convey the message of online safety through a series of public service announcements and educational programming.

Seventeen Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Atoosa Rubenstein, includes the following teen safety tips in the Parents' Guide to Internet Safety:

         1. Be Careful--Unless your profile is set to private, anyone
         can check it out. You should never post personal information
         such as your phone number, address, school, or where you
         regularly hang out. If you wouldn't share it with a creepy
         stranger on the street, don't post it on MySpace. Remember
         that the Internet is a public place and you should think
         about what you share.

         2. Be Skeptical--We may have an idea of who someone is or
         why they're messaging us, but the truth is, when we're online
         we should be a little more skeptical. As you're connecting
         with people, get to know them first before adding them to
         your friends list. Only add the people that you want to see
         your profile, check out your friends and view your photos.

         3. Be Picky--We all want to share funny things we've done
         with friends, but once you post something online it can live
         in cyberspace forever. Before you post an image or comment,
         take a minute to consider if it's something that might haunt
         you in a few years--imagine a potential boss or college
         recruiter is doing a search on you. Don't blow your
         opportunities for tomorrow just to be cute or outrageous
         today.

         4. Be a Good Online Citizen--MySpace is a place where
         everyone should feel welcome. If you see hate speech or
         inappropriate content, or if you're being harassed by another
         user, talk to your parents and report it to MySpace
         immediately. Think of this as a great, new neighborhood we
         ALL want to keep safe.

         5. Be Real--MySpace is a community and you get out of it what
         you put in. Use common sense and think about what behavior is
         ok and what's not cool for the community. The more respectful
         you are to others, the better the site is for everyone. If
         you disrespect the community by posting fake profiles or
         lying about your age, you'll be removed--no exceptions.