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New, Tougher Sentences for Internet Crimes Against Children

Virginia Attorney General releases final report of Youth Internet Safety Task Force.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell released the final report of his Youth Internet Safety Task Force Thursday at an early afternoon press conference in Richmond. McDonnell was joined at the press conference by members of the Task Force, among them representatives of AOL, Capital One, Myspace, Microsoft, and other technology companies, as well as educators, parents, students, law enforcement officers and elected officials. The final report comes after six months of meetings by the Task Force, which consisted of a law enforcement working group, a parents and educators working group, and a technology partners working group.

Speaking about the nearly 100-page report McDonnell noted, "This Task Force distinguished itself by the comprehensive nature of the analysis and proposed solutions. Thanks to the input from technology companies, law enforcement, educators and Virginia families, the proposals we are making today will help keep children safer online ... Reducing child solicitation, pornography, identity theft and other crimes on the Internet will help keep the information revolution vibrant, which is vital for Virginia's booming technology industry."

McDonnell continued noting, "The Task Force found a significant need for greater parental involvement and awareness of the potential dangers for children online. Therefore the top recommendation of the Task Force is the creation of a sustained statewide education, awareness and media campaign. Parents and kids must be more aware of online dangers and they must be equipped with safety solutions."

McDonnell further remarked, "In addition to increasing Internet safety awareness, we are also proposing tough new sentences for those engaged in the production and financing of child pornography, and for those who unlawfully solicit children online. Finally, we have identified a number of changes in the law that will aid in the investigation of Internet crimes. I hope Virginians will read the report to learn more about the steps we are recommending to keep Virginia children safe on the Internet."


Select Proposals of the Youth Internet Safety Task Force

Launch Statewide Media Campaign about Dangers of the Internet

Synopsis: The Attorney General should lead a statewide media campaign funded by public/private partnerships targeting parents and children to increase awareness among parents and children of the dangers posed by online predators, child pornographers and other criminals. To facilitate this effort an Advisory Board will be created to oversee the media campaign and all public awareness efforts. This Board will consist of public and private educators, concerned parents, students, Internet safety advocates, members of the faith-based community, state legislators, leaders in the technology industry, and law enforcement officials.

Reduce the Time Required for Law Enforcement to Obtain Information from Electronic Communication Providers

Synopsis: Under current law, officers in other states must contact a Virginia law enforcement agency in order to obtain a search warrant for a Virginia ISP. Conversely, Virginia officers must locate officers in other states to execute search warrants on out-of-state ISPs. The end result is a bureaucratic challenge that increases time required for the search warrant to get to the ISP. This proposal will allow out-of-state search warrants to go directly to the ISPs and allow Virginia search warrants to go directly to ISPs in other states.

Allow Courts to Issue Subpoenas for Out of State Electronic Communications Providers

Synopsis: Federal law authorizes any "court of competent jurisdiction" to issue orders for Electronic Communication Providers located in the United States. Therefore it is recommended that Virginia Code
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