Facebook sets new porn, paedophile, bully safeguards

SAN FRANCISCO: Top US state attorneys have announced that Facebook has agreed to get tougher on keeping its young website users safe from bullies, porn, paedophiles and other online hazards.

Facebook has agreed to a child protection pact similar to the one sealed with leading social-networking website MySpace in January, according to Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal.

"This agreement marks another milestone step for social networking safety, protecting kids from online predators and pornography," Blumenthal said in a written release.

"We are raising the safety bar, first for MySpace and now Facebook, and soon for other sites as we fight for an industry gold standard. Facebook and MySpace are showing how to aim higher and keep kids safer."

A goal of the coalition headed by Blumenthal and his North Carolina counterpart Roy Cooper is the development and implementation of technology that verifies ages and identities of people using social networking websites.

The host of safety enhancements agreed to by Facebook includes severing links to pornographic websites and booting users linked to incest, pedophilia or "cyberbullying," according to Blumenthal.