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UAE celebrates Safer Internet Day and extends Yahoo! Safety Oasis Across the UAE

The UAE's Ministry of Interior (MOI), the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA ) and the National World Summit of Information Society (WSIS) Committee, through the Higher Child Protection Committee (HCPC), are celebrating the global Safer Internet Day on February 8th, which is a global initiative organized by Insafe each year in February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology, especially amongst the young around the world.

As part of its initiatives, the Higher Child Protection Committee (HCPC) (which includes the UAE Ministry of Interior, The ministry of Justice, the Telecommunications and Regulatory Authority (TRA) , Emirates Identity Authority, Family Development Foundation & Emirates Telecommunications Corporation "Etisalat") is extending Yahoo! Safety Oasis, an online program that educates the youth on how to make smart choices online, to be part of the educational and awareness programs in the UAE.

The Committee believes that "Online safety is one of its top priorities, and that the best way to raise this awareness is by reaching out to children and educating them at a young age. Through seeking to develop a variety of programs that help promote best practice online, the Committee found Yahoo! Safety Oasis to be a very innovative tool to be promoted across the UAE so that it can eventually be integrated as part of the Internet and computer learning programs."

"We are thrilled to see that the TRA is endorsing our program in such a way. Online traffic is increasing across the Middle East, yet awareness of online safety issues is relatively low in the region. Our objective when creating Yahoo! Safety Oasis was to build a valuable resource to educate youngsters on digital literacy as early as possible," said Andy Abbar, head of product marketing for Yahoo! Maktoob .

Yahoo! Safety Oasis (http://esafe.yahoo.com/) was developed by the Yahoo! Maktoob team and educates Arabic speaking children about how to properly surf the net and protect their personal privacy through a series of fun and interactive courses offered through a number of Yahoo! Maktoob channels such as Kids, Games, and Family links.

Yahoo! Safety Oasis comes as part of Yahoo! Safely, Yahoo! 's worldwide program for fostering safer online experiences. The Yahoo! Safely site (safely.yahoo.com) is designed to provide information and advice on making smart choices online and supports Safer Internet Day's goals to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones among young people globally. The global resource informs parents, educators and teens about important topics such as managing digital reputations, avoiding cyber-bullying, and learning how to minimize risks on mobile devices, as well as guidance on how to safely use specific Yahoo! products.

Yahoo! Safety Oasis has also teamed up with some of the region's leading organizations from both the private and public sectors who firmly believe in the importance of Internet safety and are committed to spreading this awareness in their countries.

Globally, in support of Safer Internet Day, February 8, 2011 (www.saferinternet.org), Yahoo! has joined forces with InSafe, the network co-funded by the European Commission aimed at raising safer Internet awareness across Europe and the globe. This year efforts will address safety around "virtual lives" encompassing online gaming and social networking. The slogan for 2011 is, "It's more than a game, it's your life."

"Online safety is a priority for Yahoo! and we are celebrating Safer Internet Day this year to help parents, educators and youth safeguard themselves and create positive and productive web experiences," said Catherine Teitelbaum, Yahoo! 's director of child safety and product policy. " Yahoo! Safely and Yahoo! Safety Oasis help address the online issues children around the world are facing today including mobile usage, cyber-bullying and digital reputation. It's important that we take a proactive approach and work together as a global community to help foster a safer online experience for our children."

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© Press Release 2011