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MySpace to Offer Spyware for Parents
mrspin writes "Following continuing pressure from politicians (and parts of the media), MySpace is planning to offer parents the chance to download software which will monitor aspects of their children's activities on the social networking site. From a business point of view, the move appears to be a highly risky one. The young users of social networking sites are notorious for their lack of loyalty — and history suggests that a change like this could tempt many to abandon MySpace for the 'next cool thing'."
for not liking being spied on. Or mass spying of other. Sure seems everyone else is gun ho for it.
"Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
Not your space anymore, son.
Children are innovative. Even if they don't move to different social networking sites, they'll find some way around this spyware.
I'm sure the developers of this software spent much time during their youth trying to hide and protect their ill-obtained, yet sacred, copies of Hustler, Penthouse and Playboy. Just as they succeeded then, the youth of today will no doubt succeed in protecting the Web activities they hold sacred.
Just because your kids dont want you to know every single detail of their life doesnt mean that they are hooking up with 35 year olds. People take this business of monitoring their kids internet use too seriously. Would you tap your teenagers phone calls? If not whats the difference?
Could this be why nobody visits my LiveJournal anymore?
The submitter is right -- the margin of error that sites like these have before they alienate kids with the attention span of a greased weasel on crystal meth is razor-thin. It's not like most of them have invested any significant amount of time on their page; the same blinking yellow text on a bright purple background with Celine Dion screeching in the background can be recreated in The Next Great Social Networking Site in approximately three minutes.
Sure, you'll have to rebuild "your network", but most youth would ten times rather do this than conduct all of their (potentially sensitive) discourse on a site where they know that their parents are listening in.
I almost forgot; queue the spammers with links to software download sites to allow you to monitor your children's activities. Nothing like a legit reason to download a keylogger... sheesh I can see it now. The next big virus will come disguised as a child protection monitoring software from https://d0wnl0ads.myspace.com/protect.cgi
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
Even if this move doesn't drive away the kids, if nogoodniks are able to pretend to be parents and monitor the activities of other peoples' kids, this is going to be a nightmare.
Perhaps I am dull witted tonight, but I can't imagine how they can make this spyware foolproof.
We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are.
-- Anais Nin
According to the article, the software only shows what name, age, and location the user is claiming. It does not provide any other information.
This is a well thought-out solution, as it provides the important information while still providing privacy to the user.
Unfortunately, for many teens any information is too much to share, and many parents think that any privacy is too much to allow.
Okay, let's disregard whether parents would/should need a piece of software to help them watch their children.
More importantly, how are these parents going to install and use this software? I would say that the majority children are more tech-savvy than their parents, and aren't likely to willingly help their parents peer into their private life.
So, how are parents going to install and configure a piece of software that will require user names and other information they might need to ask their children for anyways? What's to stop a child from setting up a dummy account to render the software useless?
Parents who install the monitoring software on their home computers would be able to find out what name, age and location their children are using to represent themselves on MySpace. The software doesn't enable parents to read their child's e-mail or see the child's profile page
So it tells the parents the exact same information they would get by searching for their kids name, email, or username on myspace. Even the private/hidden profiles that I've seen still show username, age and location. How is downloading some proprietary software to get publicly available information useful?
------ Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government.
So, that's a nice knee-jerk reaction there, but better parenting potentially involve having some idea of what your kid is up to with these things, no?
sic transit gloria mundi
I say this as a parent. If US citizens do not have a right to privacy from corporations, why should a 13 year olds have a right to privacy from their parents?
"To Err is Human To Forgive is Divine neither of which is Marine Corp Policy"-My SNCOIC
Most people's attitude about things like this change drastically after they actually have kids of their own to be responsible for.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
As parents, the only thing you can do is try to be as trustworthy as possible. If you have reasonable success, your children may actually heed your warnings or at least realize when they are in trouble anc come to you for advice. You cannot get more. Monitoring, threats, harsh limits, etc... will just cause your children to leave home when they can and think bach of you as cretins (and rightfully so!).
An essential component of this is to trust your children. Sure, they will do stupid things, but hey, they are children and still learning. And if they know they can talk to you they may actually come to ask for advice. Don't bbe shocked or appalled, just try to do the best you can. And if you don't know, say so. And if you are uncomfotable with some of your childrens choices, tell them that, but also let them make their choices.
Eventually it boild down to respect. Respect your children. If you do that, then there is no way in hell that you can spy on them, which in my and very likely in your children's eyes is the ultimate sugn of disrespect.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Just leaving some slashdot luv! Holla!
"Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
history suggests that a change like this could tempt many to abandon MySpace for the 'next cool thing'
And history also suggests that parents are quick to file lawsuits, juries are quick to side with the parents, and legislators are quick to pass new restrictive laws. Those trump what kids might do.
Myspace already gets held accountable for a very high degree of parental stupidity. They are merely trying to cover their own asses.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
Things wont change that much, because most parents don't use that type software. Those that do, don't know how to use it, or don't feel they need to monitor their children. Typical Window's users.
As a parent, and a Linux user at home and Windows user I'd agree to a certain point. My kids want to use/see certain sites that I just don't agree with. My house, I pay the bills for internet, end of frickin story. I don't actually block sites, but I let them know which ones they should avoid.
Another thing, WTF are you grouping this as a "Typical Windows User"? Moron.
Life was hell, then I discovered Linux...
You're better off just talking to her.
Otherwise, you'll find out too late that
1. the account you have a password to isn't her only account
2. the monitoring software you installed was bypassed by a LINUX LIVE CD or usb drive
3. she's using a friend's computer
4. she's safe from online predators, but not her 13 year old boyfriend living down the block.
5. etc.,etc.,etc.
Do you know the concept of a "boss button"? Rather trivial to hide what you are doing... and at the very least you can close a window quite fast without any special setup.
And how would you like it if someone sat down at your computer any time they wanted to see what you are doing? What do you expect your kids to do when they move out? They will rebel against your overbearing spying, thus destroying any reason you may have done it in the first place. Kind of like telling a 3 year old not to stick his hand on the stove: he will just want to do it more, where the best method maybe to let him, or at least feel the heat coming off of it...
People they expect kids to magically "grow up" at the 18/21 point make me sad. If they have never HAD to grow up, or more, never were allowed to see the outcome of their actions, what makes you think 18 is different than 12? Better make those mistakes while there is someone (ie, you) for them to fall back on than hope it all works out afterwards. An analogy would be not testing a new jet engine because it may blow up and just put it on jets and hope it works.
Great Intellect...
You're right!
I've invented a perfect device for this purpose:
The KitchenTable(tm) (patent pending)
You install this device in a commons area of your home, and then one day you sit your kid down at the table and ass him or her, "OK, (name), I would never spy on you, but I keep hearing so much about MySpace and predators. Would you please walk me through the site and show me what it's all about? That would really make me more comfortable." (conversation NOT included).
This will in most cases cause the child to agree, and show the parent around the site (Warning: child/parent bonding may occur). If the tactic fails, the KitchenTable (tm) may be returned for a full refund, reddemable towards the purchase of The Dungeon (tm).
I guess we are just bad parents. Although we had talked to our son till we were blue in the face about not posting personal information, our preteen son had an account on MySpace - well actually a couple - that I found through a search. The clincher was when started getting phone calls from girls from all over and started making up lies of how they got his number.
Needless to say, his computer is not behind a squid proxy and is locked down to not going to any internet sites unless we approve and add them for homework reasons or other reasons... but we have to approve and add manually. This (for now) keeps the chat rooms, sites like this at bay. Although it does not keep the kid from going somewhere else and posting.. my theory is that while he is under our roof, he plays by my rules. He can like it or lump it.
It is like video games.. I play them with him, I see what computer and console games he is playing, and if I deem one inappropriate, it doesn't get played. Sure, I let him play Quake, Unreal, Rainbow6.. I have no problem with those games and such like that.. and I realize he can play stuff at friends. But, I am still the parent, and I control what goes on in my home. It is that simple.
Others will probably post what an awful parent I am and how kid is going to retaliate this or that.. but so be it.
I'm from Sweden. Here cellphones are dirth-cheap. And there is actually more cellphones in active service, than people. Phones that are over 4years of age, are essentially given away for free and can be found in dumpsters, "in working condition".
The cheapest low-end cellphones availible in the stores are about 30$.
Alot of kids got cellphones. Actually most kids over the age of 6 do.
It's because it's a very good way for the parents to communicate with their child.
Example:
- They can tell their kid they will be late for the kindergarten pick up.
- They get to know if something bad happend at school, and can act on that.
- They can call their kid, to tell dinner is ready.
- They can call to find out where their kid are, if "lost" at some neighbors house.
Essentially. Almost all parents want their kids to have cellphones.
Many child-phones here are locked to only recieving calls, and only calling-out certain numbers, IE mum, dad, grandma, teacher.
So. The cellphones are not for rich kids. Wake up!
Congratulations, you truly are out of touch as you worried. You honestly thought the cell-phone situation in 2007 is the same as 1995? They're incredibly cheap now and within even the poorest family's budget ($0 for a phone with a family plan). Lots of kids of all ages in all sorts of countries and socioeconomic statuses do indeed have them, with varying degrees of restrictions. Some phones will only call three or four pre-programmed numbers (Home, Mom's cell, 911, Grandma) which I think is a great idea for younger kids, for example if they need to call for a ride if soccer practice gets out early, or whatever. Giving a full-featured Blackberry with an unlimited txt & data plan to a 10-year-old is of course a completely retarded idea.
Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that if something happened to his daughter (as a direct result of meeting someone on Myspace) you might be one of the ones saying "Why wasn't he monitoring his daughter's online activity?" Unfortunately you don't have to look to hard to find plenty of examples of sexual predators using social networking sites to find their next victim, and it seems to me to that he's living up to his parental responsibility by monitoring who she is interacting with.