News and Media
MARVEL ENTERPRISES AND WIRED SAFETY'S PARRY AFTAB ANNOUNCE COMPREHENSIVE INTERNET SAFETY INITIATIVE FEATURING MARVEL'S LEGENDARY SUPER HEROES
Spider-Man, X-Men, And Captain America Headline Innovative, Multi-Tiered Campaign To Promote Internet Safety And Stop Online Piracy
New York, NY (July 13, 2004) – Marvel Enterprises Inc.'s world famous Super Heroes including Spider-Man, The The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Girl and Captain America have teamed up with WiredSafety Executive Director, Parry Aftab, one of the world's first cyber-lawyers and a recognized global leader in Internet law, privacy and policy, to fight a new breed of villains – Internet predators, cyber-stalkers and online identity thieves.
Through a unique arrangement, Marvel and WiredSafety, the world's largest Internet safety and education organization, will develop a groundbreaking program designed to help parents and their children use the Internet safely, wisely and responsibly. The program will be unveiled by the two organizations today on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The primary elements of the multi-tiered, grassroots initiative include: live stage shows starring the Marvel Super Heroes that will travel to community centers, malls, schools, state fairs and other destinations across the country; a new Web site, InternetSuperHeroes.org, an in-school Internet safety curriculum program; and a series of custom comic books each tackling a specific topic related to safe and responsible Internet use. The campaign has sparked enormous interest on Capitol Hill. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee praised Marvel and WiredSafety's efforts to use the trusted Marvel characters to teach the important lesson of online safety to children and adults alike. Marvel and WiredSafety are now looking to work with corporate sponsors to further fund these and other exciting programs.
"The Marvel Super Heroes are instantly recognizable and are highly trusted by children and parents alike. They make for the ideal characters to help promote Internet security and educate everyone on key online safety issues," said Peter Cuneo, Vice-Chairman, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. "In bringing together our widely known Marvel characters and Parry's expertise in Internet safety, we have developed a terrific program that educates kids and parents about Internet piracy and predators as well as promoting responsible and private surfing in a fun and engaging way."
Ms. Aftab added, "Internet privacy and security issues represent today's biggest concerns for parents. As kids spend more time then ever before online, they've become more susceptible to such things as ies, identity theft, scams and – even more frightening – sexual predators. Marvel fully shares with WiredSafety these concerns and should be applauded for taking strong action to fight this growing problem. Marvel's willingness to give back and use trusted characters like Spider-Man to teach important Internet messages will keep our kids safer and teach them how to become more responsible Internet users."
Grassroots Super Hero Stage Show
To reach the widest potential audience, Marvel and WiredSafety are currently
creating a series of live mini-stage shows starring several of the famous
Super Heroes. The shows will address several Internet security topics
in a fun, interactive and easy-to-understand format. The tour will include
stops at malls, schools, retail locations, state fairs, and other large
community events across the country.
In-School Curriculum Program
Marvel, Ms. Aftab and WiredSafety will develop comprehensive learning
tools that can be used in the classroom. Dedicated lesson plans, worksheets,
and activity guides will be some of the key elements of the in-school
outreach program. These elements will empower students to develop their
own safe and responsible surfing messages and programs.
Custom Comic Books
The worldwide leader in comic book publishing, Marvel will develop a series
of comic books that tackle Internet security issues using Ms. Aftab's
expertise. Popular characters like Spider-Man and The The Incredible Hulk will be featured
in storylines that deal with issues ranging from cyberbullying and identity
theft, to online scams and piracy. These comic books will be distributed
widely through schools, giveaways at each stage show stop, and other channels.
Additional Elements
Marvel and WiredSafety are currently finalizing other campaign elements.
These include: InternetSuperHeroes.org, a dedicated web site, run by WiredSafety,
that will feature free, downloadable materials local parent, community
and law enforcement groups can utilize to deliver online safety programs;
an online updated edition of Ms. Aftab's leading book, The Parent's Guide
to protecting Your Children in Cyberspace (originally published by McGraw-Hill)
available without charge; parenting guides on new issues as they evolve,
including wireless, text-messaging and interactive gaming; contests designed
to empower kids and teens to help create a safer online experience and
smarter surfers; and educating and mobilizing local law enforcement networks.
The Web site will help spread online safety, wireless and interactive game
safety, privacy and security messages and information about safe sites,
parental control software and tools. It will also encourage children and
teens to develop their own awareness campaigns on these and other issues,
including anti-piracy for movies, software and other intellectual property.
Together with leading partners, the site will also teach important information
and digital literacy and encourage children to use the filter between
their ears.
About Marvel Enterprises Inc.
With a library of over 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises,
Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment
companies. Marvel's operations are focused in four areas: entertainment
(Marvel Studios), licensing, comic book publishing and toys (Toy Biz).
Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature
films, DVD/home video, video games and television based on its character
and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products
and services including apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions.
Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division
that continues to expand its leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide
while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property.
About Parry Aftab and WiredSafety
Parry Aftab is a cyberlawyer and worldwide leader in the area of online
safety, privacy and security. As Executive Director of WiredSafety.org,
the largest online safety and help program in cyberspace, Ms. Aftab helps
prevent and investigate cybercrime and abuse for Internet users of all
ages. WiredSafety.org operates entirely through its corps of unpaid online
volunteers from around the world. Under its former name, her group was
awarded the President's Service Award in October 1998 from the White House
and Points of Light Foundation. Ms. Aftab also works closely with law
enforcement around the world to police the Internet and is part of the
Home Office CybercrimeTask Force in the UK. Author of The Parent's Guide
to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace, the leading resource for parents
on Internet safety for their children, Ms. Aftab has spoken to many governmental
agencies and groups worldwide, conducted briefings for the U.S. Senate,
been a key speaker at two White House Summits and testified before leading
legislative committees and The House of Lords. WiredSafety.org also provides
free online education, information and awareness and helps encourage,
safe, private, secure and responsible Internet and wireless technology
use.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
For Marvel Enterprises:
Jeffrey Klein, Johanna Flattery
Dan Klores Communications
212-685-4300
jeff_klein@dkcnews.com/johanna_flattery @dkcnews.com
Matt Finick
Marvel Enterprises
212-576-4035
mfinick@marvel.com
David Collins, Richard Land
Jaffoni & Collins
212-835-8500
Collins@jcir.com/land@jcir.com