LONDON - 19 March, 2009 – GetSafeOnline.org, the cross-sector UK online safety initiative, welcomes Ofcom, the communications industry regulator, as one of its sponsors in time for next week’s 2009 e-Crime Congress in central London.

Launched in 2005, Get Safe Online was established to provide a source of unbiased, user-friendly advice about online safety to UK consumers and micro-businesses. Since its inception, it has operated as a joint initiative between HM Government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and private sector sponsors from the worlds of retail, technology and finance.

Today, Ofcom joins the Cabinet Office, Home Office, BERR, SOCA, HSBC, Microsoft, Cable & Wireless and PayPal in sponsoring Get Safe Online to raise awareness of internet safety issues and provide advice to UK internet users. Its role in the initiative forms part of Ofcom’s wider media literacy strategy, designed to provide citizens with increased confidence to use communications technologies effectively and safely.

Robin Blake, Head of Media Literacy at Ofcom, commented: “Technology is now an integral part of everyday life. To take full advantage of the increasing opportunities available online, it is essential that people have the skills and confidence to protect themselves and those they are responsible for from potentially harmful or offensive materials. Ofcom is delighted to support the work of Get Safe Online to make online experiences safer and more enjoyable.”

GetSafeOnline.org Managing Director, Tony Neate, added: “Making sure internet users are aware of the key risks and have the right information to help protect themselves is a challenging task, and needs cooperation from multiple stakeholders to be as effective and wide-reaching as possible – from individual internet users, through to businesses, technology providers, law enforcement and Government. Get Safe Online is delighted to welcome Ofcom on board to support our efforts and lend its expertise to the work we do.”

Get Safe Online will be present at the e-Crime Congress in London next week to encourage delegates to think beyond corporate IT security, highlighting the importance of educating individual internet users (including consumers and staff) on how to identify and deal with online threats.

For information and advice on how to guard against online identity fraud and other internet crime, visit the Get Safe Online website at www.getsafeonline.org.

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Notes to Editors:

· GetSafeOnline.org is exhibiting at the e-Crime Congress on 24 & 25 March, 2009 with Tony Neate participating in the various discussions and debates. For further information or to arrange an interview, contact the Get Safe Online press office.

For further information:

· Contact the Get Safe Online press office team on 020 3047 2561 or press@getsafeonline.org.

· Visit the website at www.getsafeonline.org/go/media or the Get Safe Online blog at www.getsafeonlineblog.org

· To obtain more information and statistics about UK internet usage and online safety behaviour in the UK, download the latest Get Safe Online Report at http://www.getsafeonline.org/media/GSO_Report_2008.pdf

About Get Safe Online:

The Get Safe Online initiative (www.getsafeonline.org), which is now in its fourth year, is the UK’s national internet security awareness campaign. A joint partnership between the Government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Ofcom and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance, the campaign continues to educate, inform and raise awareness of internet security issues to encourage confident, safe use of the internet.

GetSafeOnline.org is sponsored by the Cabinet Office, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), Home Office, Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), HSBC, Microsoft, Cable & Wireless, Ofcom and PayPal.

About Ofcom:

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

Ofcom recognises that a media literate society will have the skills, knowledge and understanding required to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by both traditional and new communications services.

As a result, promoting media literacy has become one of its key priorities. It defines media literacy as "the ability to access, understand and create communications in a variety of contexts."

For more information go to http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/