Previous by Date | Next by Date | Date Index
Previous by Thread | Next by Thread
| Thread Index
| LM_NET
Archive
| |
This article ought to make you really, really angry. http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090904/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_internet_monitorin g_kids "Parents who install a leading brand of software to monitor their kids' online activities may be unwittingly allowing the company to read their children's chat messages ‹ and sell the marketing data gathered. Software sold under the Sentry and FamilySafe brands can read private chats conducted through Yahoo, MSN, AOL and other services, and send back data on what kids are saying about such things as movies, music or video games. The information is then offered to businesses seeking ways to tailor their marketing messages to kids." This is not the first time I have seen this. In the late 90's, Zapme was providing free computers to schools in exchange for the ability to market profile students. There is a company called Eguardian that is working through schools to provide digital identification of young people - and then are also then engaging in market profiling. When the states attorneys general were pressuring the social networking sites to establish age and identify verification, all of the companies that were telling them this could be done were really excited about the prospect of being better able to develop market research profiles tied to verifiable children and teens. The FTC is focusing on the issues of behavioral targeting. My position is very clear. There should be an absolute prohibition against market profiling of children and teens. Period. Nancy -- Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use http://csriu.org http://cyberbully.org http://cyber-safe-kids.com http://csriu.wordpress.com nwillard@csriu.org Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press) Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, you send a message to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * LM_NET Help & Information: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/join.html * LM_NET Supporters: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/category/links/el-announce/ --------------------------------------------------------------------