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Geoff Greenwood, Communications Director
515-281-6699, geoff.greenwood@iowa.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 9, 2010

Website Agrees to Miller's Request to Change Abusive Post Practices

(DES MOINES, Iowa)  Attorney General Tom Miller announced that Topix.com, an Internet message board host, has agreed to change how it responds to reports of abusive posts, following a request by Miller and attorneys general in 33 other states and territories.

Topix.com has 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 joined the attorneys general in expressing significant concerns to Topix.com CEO Chris Tolles regarding the website’s “Forums and Polls” pages, the $19.95 fee to expedite reviews of inappropriate posts, and the website’s feedback system. 

Miller is particularly concerned about obscene website posts targeting children.  “Some of these very disturbing comments directed at children can have a truly destructive impact on a child,” Miller said.  Miller also objected to Topix.com’s “pay to police” policies, which forced any target of derogatory posts to pay a fee to have them removed quickly.

As part of the settlement, Topix.com will review all reports of abuse on its website.  The company will also seek to review and remove inappropriate posts within three working days rather than its previous policy of seven to 14 days.  Additionally, Topix.com has removed its “flagging” option for reporting abusive posts, which required multiple users to “flag” a post before it was reviewed.  As a result of this ineffective and confusing option, many inappropriate posts consumers thought they had reported were never reviewed.

The site has also agreed to make technical and human resources improvements in order to better review and block inappropriate posts.


Topix.com has also agreed to:

  • Continue cooperating with law enforcement agencies in combating unlawful activity on its website
  • Consult on an as-needed basis with the attorneys general to discuss issues of concern, including responsiveness to abuse reports and other consumer complaints
  • Continue to explore new technology and processes for preventing misuse of its site.

 

Miller emphasized that despite the new safeguards on this website, parents still need to involve themselves with their children’s online activity and know the sites they visit.  “Parents should talk to their kids about on-line threats, including cyber bullying,” Miller said.  “Parents are key to protecting kids from many dangers online.”

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.

Attorneys general from the following 34 states and territories have joined the initiative to address consumer protection concerns with Topix.com: 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.

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