Community Relations

The Internet can play a powerful role in bringing communities together, encouraging giving, helping people find volunteer opportunities, helping improve the safety and health of children. AOL has a long history of leveraging the power of the Internet to benefit those in need and improve communities.

AOL in the UK works closely with government, law enforcement, charities, academics and other policy stakeholders. Amongst these are:

ISPA

• Promotes competition, self-regulation and the development of the Internet industry.
• ISPA's main activity is in making representations on behalf of the industry to Government bodies, such as the Home Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and Ofcom. Government and political representatives often approach ISPA for its knowledge and expertise.

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

• IWF works in partnership with UK Government departments such as the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to influence initiatives and programmes developed to combat online abuse.
• IWF operates an Internet ‘Hotline’ for the public and IT professionals to report their exposure to potentially illegal content online.  IWF objective is to minimise the availability of potentially illegal internet content, specifically:
  • child sexual abuse images hosted anywhere in the world
  • criminally obscene content hosted in the UK
  • incitement to racial hatred content hosted in the UK

Youth Protection Roundtable (YPRT)

• The Youth Protection Roundtable is a project funded in the framework of the Safer Internet Action Plan of the European Commission.
• The YPRT aim is to establish an intercommunicable socio-technical approach to youth protection. Users – responsible adults in the case of minors – should be empowered to make their own decisions on how to deal with harmful and unwanted content on the Internet.

Community Relations contact
Camille de Stempel
Director of Policy for AOL Europe