ABOUT AOL IN THE UK

  AOL is a leading provider of digital communications and content to UK consumers. AOL offers dial-up, broadband, voice and portal services and has more than 2.2 million subscribers in the UK, including more than 1.4 million on broadband.

  AOL subscribers in the UK spend more than two hours a day on average connected to the Internet. The AOL service and portal deliver a range of market-leading online content, including music, film, sport, news, shopping and community, as well as email, instant messenger, VOIP, safety and security features. AOL is also one of the leading online destinations for advertisers in the UK.

  The AOL branded services are supplied to UK subscribers by AOL Europe Services SARL, a company in the AOL group based in Luxembourg. AOL (UK) Limited provides marketing and other support services. Both companies are part of AOL Europe, a business unit of AOL LLC, which operates a leading network of Web brands and is a majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.

AOL'S OUTLOOK ON PERSONAL INTERNET SECURITY

  With almost 70% of UK homes having an Internet connection and time online rising, it is clear that UK citizens are embracing all the great things the Web has to offer.

  While the Internet is enhancing the way people communicate, work, buy and sell goods, find information and access public services, AOL accepts that the scale and pace of change is true for both the good and bad aspects of the online world.

  The wellbeing of Internet users has always been a priority for AOL and, as Internet penetration increases and more people shop, bank, meet other people and carry out other activities online, AOL recognises that PC protection is now more vital than ever.

  AOL's commitment to Internet security includes providing tools and services, publishing detailed advice for users, and working with industry, Government, law enforcement and other stakeholders.

A SUMMARY OF THE RISKS

  As technology becomes more sophisticated, so too do the criminals. AOL strives to keep its subscribers updated about the potential risks and to provide tools to help reduce them.

  The Web has changed the face of commerce and most retailers now have an online presence. AOL's Brand New World study shows that 60% of UK adults buy some goods, services or tickets online. There are clear benefits to online shopping, such as the convenience and the ability to compare prices, but it has also brought new dangers, such as the fraudulent use of credit cards.

  Using the Internet we can now find information on anything we want. But it also means anyone can find out about us. So, Internet users need to be aware of the potential privacy risks when putting their personal information into websites and other online forums.

  Unsolicited junk email, or spam, is one of the primary concerns. Spammers are increasingly using more sinister tactics, such as employing zombie PCs and bot-nets, to hide the source of the spam and tricking consumers with special order spam, which claims to be from a friend or part of a legitimate, customer-driven transaction.

  Such online scams and hoaxes appear to be on the increase. Phishing, for example, is designed to fool users into revealing personal information like passwords, credit card details and account numbers for criminal gain. Phishers send out millions of emails and set up cloned Web sites that look as if they are from trusted companies, such as banks and retailers.

  Spyware refers to pieces of software that install themselves on the user's computer without their knowledge, usually when they click on a Web link or download a file. If users don't have protection against it, their Internet connection can be stolen, their preferences changed and their computer slowed down. More seriously, spyware can steal users' personal information, putting them in danger of identity theft.

  Hackers, spybots and other Internet invaders are constantly scanning the Internet for PCs to infect and disrupt. Without firewall software, a computer is vulnerable every time the user goes online, particularly if it has a broadband "always-on" connection. A firewall places a barrier between the Internet and the user's PC, helping to prevent unauthorised access.

  Computer viruses are software programmes deliberately designed to interfere with computers, disrupt or delete data and spread themselves—via email, downloads and files—to other computers. Viruses can arrive via a corrupted disk or program, email attachments, installing software, and in every kind of Internet download. Any information stored on the computer, such as documents, files or music collections can be lost in a virus attack.

  It is clear from the above summary that Internet users face a myriad of potential security threats. For many consumers, this can make the Internet and computers seem daunting, especially if they have little experience of technology. AOL believes it is crucial that these issues are discussed openly and backed up with pertinent advice and robust technical solutions.

CONSUMER UNDERSTANDING

  Unfortunately, it appears that Internet penetration and advances in technology are outpacing consumers' understanding of potential online dangers.

  In March 2006, AOL commissioned Populus Research to investigate UK consumers' awareness of, and the action they have taken to avoid, Internet security issues.

  The study of over 1,000 UK adults found that although their awareness was higher than ever, most still do not do enough to protect themselves when they are online.

  Understanding of Internet security terms such as phishing, trojan, virus and spyware had increased over the previous 12 months, with most respondents claiming to know what they meant. However, even though 86% said they are concerned about Internet security, less than half use specialist software to protect their computers.

  AOL is committed to engaging UK Internet users on the issue of Internet security. As part of this, AOL has been running a campaign called/discuss since January 2006, the aim of which is to ignite debate on a series of topics related to the Internet.

  The /discuss website has had more than 250,000 unique visitors since its launch, a number of which have commented on security issues. We have selected two examples for the purpose of this submission:

"I would guess now that 75% of all viruses are from people doing something incorrect, or stupid ... such as downloading .exe files from a P2P sharing network ... or opening junk mail, or visiting porn websites (which often contain dialers and more) ... If you use the Internet correctly then your details are safe ... Forget the firewalls, anti viruses, anti spam, etc ... all you need is some common sense, and a little experience or training." From the discussion forum "Is the Internet the ultimate invasion of privacy?" 22 June 2006.

"If I shop from the net, I will ONLY shop from sites I know are widely used and that have had great reviews ... and not once have I been swindled for my money, but once, the ONE time I did buy from a site I'd never heard of before, the money got sent out, but my item never did ... Just be careful who you buy from." From the discussion forum "Internet shopping. Browse, buy or get mugged from the comfort of your own home." 12 February 2006.

TACKLING THE ISSUES

  AOL believes that Internet safety and security is the shared responsibility of industry, Government, law enforcement and users.

  As a leading provider of digital content and communications in the UK, AOL is committed to helping to protect Internet users by providing tools and services, advice and support, and working closely with other stakeholders.

TOOLS AND SERVICES

Spam protection

  In 2005, AOL blocked an average 1.5 billion spam messages each day before they reached subscribers' in-boxes. AOL subscribers were engaged in helping us helping them so we could build an efficient tool to report and block mails which are considered by our users as spam. A user can report unsolicited emails to AOL without opening them, using a Report Spam button. AOL bases its filtering on the more than one million reports it receives each day. In addition, AOL subscribers can block messages containing certain words and filter suspected spam to a separate folder for sorting at their leisure.

Spim protection

  For protection from the instant messaging form of spam, AOL's innovative IM Catcher automatically captures Instant Messages to highlight to the user that the IM is from unknown sources so that the user can choose whether to view them, ignore them or block the sender.

Phishing protection

  AOL proactively blocks many known phishing websites and continues to launch legal action against spammers and phishers to try to hit them where it hurts—financially. AOL has pursued spammers in the US relentlessly and has found new ways and technologies to combating such activities and has also shared with our users some of the assets seized thereby driving better engagement.

Spyware protection

  AOL's free Spyware Protection service scans the user's PC and offers four levels of protection, including checking for more than 28,000 known types of spyware and adware, empowering them to find and disable a wide range of threats.

Firewall software

  AOL Broadband users get McAfee Personal Firewall Plus free as part of their monthly subscription to help avoid the threat from hackers.

Anti-virus software

  As many viruses arrive via email, AOL provides free email virus scanning through McAfee VirusScan. All incoming and outgoing emails and attachments are scanned for viruses, worms, trojans and other infections and the software can be scheduled to automatically update on a weekly basis. AOL also recommends that users get a full anti-virus service to protect their whole computer.

Identity theft

  AOL gives subscribers seven email addresses and recommends that a different one is used for personal emails to the one used in public areas of the Internet like chat rooms and message boards. This can help to reduce the risk of strangers contacting them or accessing their personal information. In addition, AOL provides advice about setting up complex passwords that are easy for the user to remember but not for others to guess and also encourages subscribers to set up an Account Security Question.

Computer check-up

  AOL Computer Check-up assesses the overall health of the user's computer. It checks things like the browser settings and free hard drive space, diagnosing and automatically fixing any common ailments before they affect the PC's performance.

ADVICE AND SUPPORT

  AOL publishes extensive information about Internet security within the AOL subscription servic.

  In 2005, AOL launched the Safety and Security Centre in the UK, which brings together all the safety and security features in one place, alerting users to potential risks and giving them more control over their time online. As well as links to the relevant security products, the area includes a Question and Answer section and an A-Z of safety and security terms.

  We pay particular attention to children by encouraging parents, when they set up a screen name for their children, to use our award winning parental controls software to make sure that children have a safer and more enjoyable online experience.

  In addition, AOL provides links to security information from relevant online news stories. For example, if there is an item about a new virus on the AOL News channel, subscribers can click on links within the story to access advice about how to avoid viruses.

STAKEHOLDER CO-OPERATION

  AOL is a member of the Internet Crime Forum, a group composed of Internet Service Providers, law enforcement and data protection officers and the Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA), for example. This group works with different stakeholders in Internet security and Internet crime yo help protect online consumers.

  Through the Home Office Task Force on Child Safety on the Internet, ISPs, law enforcement, NGOs and other stakeholders look at ways in which the Internet and ISP tools are being used to put children at risk and have developed guidelines and frameworks for ISPs and content providers to help better protect children.

  AOL is also very active in international pan-industry working groups seeking to develop better technology and standards both for the industry and its users.

  Through ISPA, the industry has been helping to push the debate and actively seeking to engage all stakeholders and supporting UK Government policy around this issue.

GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION

  UK Government has been very active through the DTI, Home Office and Law Enforcement specialist units in supporting ISPs through policy and advice initiative to reduce security threats. Initiatives such as the DTI Working Group on Spam, the Home Office Task Force on Protection Children on the Internet, the Internet Crime Forum and the Get Safe Online projects have helped the dialogue between all relevant stakeholders.

  We have seen that by all parties working together can help reducing the risks faced by consumers whilst allowing new technologies and standards as well as education material to be developed in a timely manner. AOL supports the UK self-regulatory regime and multi-stakeholders' approach.

CRIME PREVENTION

  AOL supports the current legislative framework which has helped clarify access and request to information from ISPs (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act), allowed for some better understanding of grounds upon which ISPs can fight malicious and harmful security breach onto its service (Computer Misuse Act) but we would welcome more stringent remedies against spammers.

  AOL has participated to two G8 meetings on eCrime and has found it most useful in bringing understanding and sharing best practice from other territories' industry, law enforcement and policy makers and would welcome similar events to be organised by government.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

  In summary, AOL believes that the good of the Internet outweighs the bad but recognises that consumers face a broad range of dangers. The company's focus is therefore on education and empowerment—educate consumers about the potential risks and empower them to minimise the likelihood of them occurring.

  AOL's recommendations are therefore:

—  ISPs have a responsibility to their customers: It is no good just telling users that protecting their computer is as vital as locking their front door, the onus is on the Internet industry to help provide the keys. And the keys must be regularly updated to keep up with new threats.

—  Collaboration is crucial: AOL is keen for the Internet industry to continue working with government, law enforcement and other stakeholders to help educate and protect Internet users. Membership of joint taskforces and other bodies should be maximised.

—  Self-regulation works: It would be useful to look at the model used to reduce the number of child abuse images available on the Internet. ISPs and other organisations have worked closely with the Internet Watch Foundation to help tackle illegal Web content.

—  Striking the right balance is key: New Internet users in particular may be put off by scaremongering about security risks. It is vital that any awareness campaigns focus on the positive elements of the Internet too and that confusing technical jargon is kept to a minimum.

—  Peer education is powerful: AOL's /discuss campaign is proof that online communities can be used to provide information and peer advice on issues such as Internet security.

23 October 2006