PALO ALTO, Calif. - Under an agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, social-networking website Facebook has promised to address each report of obscene material or unwanted contact within 24 hours of receipt.
The agreement, which was announced Tuesday, was made in an effort to combat potential sexual predators and obscene content. As a result, Cuomo said, Facebook will have the safest interactions of its kind; he said he hopes other social-networking sites will follow in Facebook's footsteps.
"These social-networking sites are attractive," he said. "We want to make sure they're safe."
The agreement calls for Facebook to send each complainant a report outlining the site's response within 72 hours. Facebook also is to allow an independent source, approved by Cuomo's office, to report on the site's compliance with safeguards over the next two years. Facebook also will be required to post safety procedures on its site.
"We care deeply about our Facebook users, and today, we pledge a solution," said Chris Kelly, Facebook's chief privacy officer. "We believe that safety is an ongoing process."
