[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORTING NATIONAL INTERNET SAFETY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 30, 2008

  Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1260, a 
resolution in support of the goals and ideals of ``National Internet 
Safety Month''. This is an issue I have personally been working on for 
a number of years through the Subcommittee on Oversight and 
Investigations.
  Through the Subcommittee's investigation, we've been able to 
influence significant changes in the industry, including better 
filtering and reporting efforts among Internet Service Providers, 
social networking sites, and other content providers.
  We have also discovered a number of alarming statistics, for example:
  One in five children report receiving a sexual solicitation over the 
Internet, more than 3.5 million pornographic images of American 
children are in circulation on the Internet, and the sale of these 
images over the Internet represents a billion dollar industry.
  The anonymity provided by the Internet to those that seek to exploit 
and harm children and the lightning pace data is transmitted provides a 
Congress with significant policy challenges.
  While we've made some progress in the last few years, I feel that 
we've only begun to address the scope of this problem.
  By recognizing National Internet Safety Month, we remind ourselves 
how important it is for Congress to remain committed and vigilant to 
ensure that the Internet is a safe place for children.

                          ____________________