Krystie Harman Krystie Harman 18:43, 9 Sep 2004 (EST)
Many children today are skilled at using computers and the internet. 90% of school age children have access to computers either at home or at school (Children’s Privacy and Safety on the Internet, 2004). However, parents, teachers and guardians cannot prevent children from visiting websites that contain harmful or objectional content, or that invade the rights of their children.
The internet can provide children with information, friendships and challenging games. However, it can also introduce children to harmful and objectionable content such as pornography, profanity, gratuitous violence and hate speech. Programs such as NetNanny and CyberSitter can block websites, but are still not completely effective. A March 2001 study on the Consumer Reports web site notes that “in some cases, filters block harmless sites merely because their software does not consider the context in which a word or phrase is used� (Consumer Reports, 2001) Also, filter programs sometime “block legitimate sites based on moral or political value judgments� such as Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion web site, which contains photos of aborted fetuses that only Cyber Patrol and AOL blocked (Consumer Reports, 2001).
Filtering software can also be used to block outgoing transmission of children’s personally identifying information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers, and the use of online chat systems and instant messaging (http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs21-children.htm retrieved 26/10/04). However, as these programs are primarily used to block content, they are not entirely effective in preventing children transmitting personal information on websites. This means that children’s personal and private information could inadvertently be passed on to marketers or internet pirates.
The Children’s Online Privacy Act (COPPA) was introduced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in April of 2000 because of the growing internet marketing techniques that targeted children and collected personal information from them without parental notification or consent. COPPA states that "if you operate a commercial Web site or an online service directed to children under 13 that collects personal information from children, or if you operate a general-audience Web site and have actual knowledge that you are collecting personal information from children, you must comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act." (Broersma, 2004, p.9). COPPA requires websites to gain parental consent before they collect data from children under the age of thirteen. The COPPA privacy notification must be linked to a website’s homepage and must provide information on how the information is used, who uses it, and gives parental rights over their children’s privacy.
Chat Rooms have become popular with internet users, particularly children, and have also become a dangerous invasion to children’s privacy online. Common problems children report in relation to chat rooms include profanity, being asked passwords, being asked personal information including their name, address and phone number, inappropriate advances and adults visiting children chat rooms (Consumers Union's magazine for children, Zillions, 1996 survey in Children’s Privacy and Safety on the Internet, 2004).
Children’s privacy online is a highly debated topic. Although children have been brought up using the internet and computers, they are still unaware of the dangers it can present. Although filtering software can help block outgoing and incoming transmissions, parental supervision is the best way to ensure privacy of children online.
===Bibliography===
Charles B Broersma. (2004, June). "Privacy is your prerogative - or is it?" The Business Journal - Central New York, 18(24), 9.
Consumer Reports.org (March 2001) “Digital chaperones for kids: Which internet filters protect the best? Which get in the way?� Retrieved 26 October, 2004, from http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=348251&bmUID=1098747992833
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. 2004. Children’s Privacy and Safety on the Internet: A resource guide for parents. Retrieved 9 September, 2004, from http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs21-children.htm
Krystie Harman 10:22, 26 Oct 2004 (EST)
Krystie Harman 19:27, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
