June 30, 2005
First State in Nation to Launch Child Protection Registry
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and Chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) J. Peter Lark today announced that on July 1, Michigan will become the first state in the nation to launch a child protection registry that will enable parents to guard children from unwanted electronic messages.
“Michigan’s child protection registry is a great way parents can shield their children from inappropriate email,” said Granholm. “I’m proud that Michigan is the first state in the nation to develop this registry and provide a way for parents and teachers to protect our children from unsuitable emails.”
Michigan’s child protection registry, called the Protect MI Child Registry, will allow individuals and schools to register email addresses to which minors have access. In the near future, instant message IDs, mobile phone numbers, fax numbers, pager numbers, and other contact points can also be registered. There is no cost to register.
On July 21, 2004, the Governor signed SB 1025, creating the Michigan Children’s Protection Registry Act (Public Act 241).
Public Act 241 prohibits persons from sending to registered addresses messages about products or services that are legally prohibited for children. Examples include pornography, tobacco, gambling, alcohol, illegal or prescription drugs, firearms, and fireworks. Senders of material are required to remove registered email addresses from their mailing lists within 30 days.
If a registered contact receives a prohibited message, a complaint may be filed with the Michigan Attorney General’s office. A first violation is a misdemeanor; subsequent violations are felonies. Civil penalties may also be sought.
“The Protect MI Child Registry has been designed to be very user-friendly,” said MPSC Chairman J. Peter Lark. “Parents and others who have expressed outrage and frustration at the endless stream of unwanted messages to which their children have access now have a way to reduce those messages.”
The registry was created and will be operated by Unspam Registry Services. For more details on the registry, visit www.michigan.gov/protectmichild . The site will go live for registrations at 7 a.m. (EST) on July 1.
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