New York, NY, December 16, 1997...In its continued effort to combat hate on the Internet, the Anti- Defamation League (ADL) announced an agreement with The Learning Company (TLC) to develop a proprietary Internet filter for the ADL. The ADL version of TLC's Cyber Patrol software, scheduled to be available in early 1998, will provide users with the option of screening out hate sites and educate about the dangers of prejudice.

"We are working with the most innovative filtering software developer in the nation to create a tool that will give parents the option to protect their children from hate and keep bigotry out of their homes," said Howard P. Berkowitz, ADL National Chairman. "We hope to foster an atmosphere of responsibility on-line and to set standards within the framework of the First Amendment that will give assurances to parents, educators and communities that there are means with which to help children safely navigate the Internet."

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director said, "we will continue to expose the shrewd bigots who are rushing out to take advantage of the enormous power of the Internet. The days of smudgy mimeographed hate tracts arriving in unmarked brown envelopes are over. Today's bigots offer their message on-line in full-color animation with music and video, all designed to attract and influence young people."

"We are pleased to assist the ADL in its continuing battle against hate and bigotry in all forms, including its latest incarnation in cyberspace," said Richard A. Gorgens, Vice President of Advanced Technology for the Internet Solutions Group of the Learning Company.

Cyber Patrol, the foundation for the ADL filter, is the world's most widely-used Internet filtering software. The League will compile a special list of hate sites to be embedded in the Cyber Patrol software. Internet users with ADL's Cyber Patrol who attempt to access hate sites will be redirected to ADL's own Web site, www.adl.org, with educational content devoted to informing people about prejudice and hate.

As the leading authority on hate on the Internet, ADL has published several reports including the recent High-Tech Hate: Extremist Use of the Internet, which examines the growing use of the Internet by hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi Skinheads, militias and others. Previous reports include The Web of Hate and Warning Hate Zone: A Parent's Guide, all based on findings from the League's full-time Internet monitoring unit.

The ADL product will also provide parents with the standard Cyber Patrol list of sites inappropriate for children. Cyber Patrol uses a proprietary list, the CyberNOT list, of sites researched by a team of parents and teachers to screen out inappropriate content that is sexually explicit, violent, graphic, or that promotes drugs, alcohol, gambling or cults. It allows parents to manage the time their children spend in cyberspace, the material they access on-line, and the personal information they divulge to strangers. Cyber Patrol serves as the parental control technology for America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and hundreds of ISPs.

The Learning Company, Inc., develops and markets a family of premium software brands that educate across every age from young children to adults. The Company's products are sold in over 23,000 retail stores in North America and through multiple distribution channels including school, on-line, direct response and OEM. The company also develops, publishes and distributes products through international markets in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Holland and the Pacific Rim. The Learning Company, Inc. is headquartered at One Athenaeum Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, telephone 617-494-1200, fax 617-494-1219.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.