Go Daddy, Miss America & Congress Find Ways to Protect Our Kids Online.

Testimony Before Senate Focuses on How to Keep Predators off the Internet

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Miss America, the president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a well-known researcher of crimes against children, and a top GoDaddy.com executive were among the key figures who testified today before Congress about how to protect our kids from online predators. The business of child pornography over the Internet is estimated to be worth as much as $20 billion.

Go Daddy's testimony explained the role of domain name registrars and Web site hosting providers in the fight against child pornography. Go Daddy has investigated thousands of allegations of child pornography and inappropriate child modeling sites linked to porn. Go Daddy often shuts down these Web sites for violating the "no unlawful conduct or improper use" clause in the service terms customers agree to sign.

"The Go Daddy Group devotes substantial resources to working with law enforcement, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and others to help protect children from Internet predators," said Go Daddy General Counsel Christine Jones, who testified on this issue last year before a House subcommittee and appeared today before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. "Exploitation of children online generally -- and specifically child pornography -- is a growing and unacceptable problem that must end, and we are committed to working with law enforcement to see to it that it happens."

Go Daddy often responds to community tips about possible online predators. The company reports offending Web sites and registrants to both authorities and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Go Daddy has pledged to take all steps necessary to stop online predators and encourages other Internet companies to do the same.

Among the others who testified at today's hearing was Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson, whose platform includes helping to fight Internet predators. After receiving inappropriate photos from an Internet predator as a youth, Nelson now works with the TV show "America's Most Wanted" on this issue. Today, she urged lawmakers to implement mandatory Internet safety education for all children. Virginia already requires a program like this in its schools.

The director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire also testified today. Just last week, a study from the center was featured in USA Today, saying that one in every 25 young people who surf the Internet are asked at some point to transmit a sexually explicit picture of themselves.

Go Daddy has a full-time presence in Washington, D.C., and is taking an active role -- not only in stopping online predators -- but also in other issues affecting the Internet community, including halting phishing scams that can result in identity theft and helping to reduce the amount of SPAM e-mails.

About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.

Go Daddy is a leading provider of services that enable individuals and businesses to establish, maintain and evolve an online presence. Go Daddy provides a variety of domain name registration and Web site hosting services, as well as a broad array of on-demand and other services. The Go Daddy Group, Inc. has more than 22 million domain names under management. Go Daddy registers, renews or transfers a domain name every 1.3 seconds. GoDaddy.com is the world's No. 1 domain name registrar according to Name Intelligence, Inc. GoDaddy.com is also rated the world's largest hostname provider according to Netcraft Ltd. During 2006, The Go Daddy Group registered approximately one-third of all domain names registered in the top six generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, including .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info.

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