Thaindian News

DES MOINES, IOWA (BNO NEWS) – The website Topix.com, an internet message board, agreed on Monday to change how it responds to reports of abusive posts, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced on Monday.

The agreement came after a request made by Miller and attorney general’s in 33 other states and territories. Topix.com agreed to screen abusive posts, simplify and improve its handling of abusive post reports, and to eliminate its policy of charging for an expedited review of such reports.

In May, Miller and the other attorneys general expressed their concerns to Chris Tolles, CEO of Topix.com, about the website’s “Forums and Polls” pages, the $19.95 fee to expedite reviews of inappropriate posts, and the website’s feedback system. Miller expressed his particular concern regarding obscene posts targeting children.

“Some of these very disturbing comments directed at children can have a truly destructive impact on a child,” Miller said.

As part of the settlement, Topix.com agreed to review all reports of abuse on its website. The company will also remove abusive posts within three days in contrast to the 7 to 14 days previously established.

Topix.com also removed its “flagging” option for reporting abusive posts, which required multiple users to “flag” a post before it was reviewed, causing many posts to not being removed due to the lack of flagging. The company also said that they will continue cooperating with authorities and will continue to look for technologies to prevent misuse of the site.

Finally, Miller asked parents to be more involved in reviewing what their children consult over the internet as well as with their online activity.

“Parents should talk to their kids about on-line threats, including cyber bullying. Parents are key to protecting kids from many dangers online,” Miller added.

Attorneys general from 34 states and territories had joined the initiative: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

Topix.com, of Palo Alto, California, describes itself as a “top ten online newspaper destination” which encourages readers to post comments about news items or other matters of community interest. It was founded in 2002.