Internet safety

RECENT POSTS

Apps Aimed at Kids Raise Privacy Concerns

April 16, 2012 | 8:00 AM | By

TB

By Eleanor Yang Su

The number of mobile apps marketed to kids is growing at a rapid pace, yet a recent report by the Federal Trade Commission raises new concerns about child privacy and the lack of disclosure about the personal data being collected.

The FTC reviewed the promotional pages for 400 apps aimed at kids and found that fewer than 2 percent disclosed what personal information is collected or how it is used. The commission noted that smartphone apps can collect personal data from the device automatically, including the user’s location, phone number, list of contacts and call logs, and share that with others.

The review [PDF] did not delve into what information apps actually are collecting from children, but the FTC is looking into that and plans to release its findings within the next four months.

“Parents should be able to learn before they download apps what information will be used and how it’s shared,” said Patricia Poss, one of the FTC report authors.

As part of its review, the FTC fined a California company on accusations of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which outlaws the collection of data from children younger than 13 without parental approval. By law, companies must explain what information is being collected and how it is used. The California company, W3 Innovations LLC, was fined $50,000 for collecting e-mail addresses and other information from tens of thousands of children without parental consent. It was the FTC’s first mobile app case.

“What makes a lot of parents uncomfortable is when they are not informed about the collection and use of data.”

Privacy concerns have been growing since news surfaced in February that apps for Facebook, Twitter and others accessed – and sometimes copied – entire address books without permission.

Some privacy experts say the problem stems from the unprecedented growth of the mobile app market, not from malicious intent.

“The majority of the issues raised by the FTC and other interested parties are mostly attributable to the speed of the growth of this market,” said Ed Lewis, CEO of Media Chaperone, which develops software for Disney and other companies to help manage content permissions and privacy settings.

Jules Polonetsky of the Future of Privacy Forum think tank says the majority of apps collect limited Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Teaching With Tech, apps, Internet safety

Kids Online: the Risks and the Realities

December 9, 2011 | 12:24 PM | By

TB

The Internet seems like another member of the family sometimes. It lives in our home and follows us wherever we go, it vies for our attention, and it entertains us. The habits we fall into around our online lives has a profound effect on our family relationships, especially when it comes to parents and kids.

Earlier this year, the London School of Economics and Political Science launched a massive survey of 25,000 children and their parents all across Europe about their practices and perspectives. Sonia Livingstone, social psychology professor and head of the department of media and communications, worked on the detailed report — as well as a more synthesized list of myths — and came away with some thought-provoking recommendations for parents.

“Children are often happy to share with their parents and show them what they know.”

Livingstone was interviewed by DML Central, produced by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. It’s worth reading the entire interview, but here are a few imperatives Livingstone recommends.

DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. We talk a lot about digital natives, and their aptitude in technical skills. While it’s true that a lot of kids are savvy about navigating the Web — and that they can figure out a lot on their own — the parents’ role is still vital. Livingston says that when she asked some kids to demonstrate setting up their privacy settings, they were at a loss. “When you check out Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Culture, Research, Facebook, Internet safety, Social Media

Dispelling Myths About Blocked Websites in Schools

September 20, 2011 | 1:29 PM | By

Larry Gonzalez

I’m at a small gathering of education journalists, policymakers and school leaders today, and in attendance is the Department of Education’s Director of Education Technology, Karen Cator.

Cator told me that teachers continue to thank her for outlining these important clarifications about schools blocking access to Web sites. For those who haven’t seen the original article, which followed an article about surprising blocked Web sites, here it is again.

Cator parsed the rules of the Childrens Internet Protection Act, and provided guidance for teachers on how to proceed when it comes to interpreting the rules. To that end, here are six surprising rules that educators, administrators, parents and students might not know about website filtering in schools.

  1. Accessing YouTube is not violating CIPA rules. “Absolutely it’s not circumventing the rules,” Cator says. “The rule is to block inappropriate sites. All sorts of YouTube videos are helpful in explaining complex concepts or telling a story, or for hearing an expert or an authentic voice — they present learning opportunities that are really helpful.”
  2. Websites don’t have to be blocked for teachers. “Some of the comments I saw online had to do with teachers wondering why they can’t access these sites,” she says. “They absolutely can. There’s nothing that says that sites have to be blocked for Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Learning Methods, Teaching With Tech, Internet filtering, Internet safety, Karen-Cator, Policy

ACLU Blasts Schools for Blocking Gay Teen Support Web Sites

May 20, 2011 | 11:30 AM | By

David Lofink

The American Civil Liberties Union announced this week that it notified Oroville Union High School District in Northern California that the school is “improperly configured to block access to Web content geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.”

Oroville Union isn’t the first to receive this message from the ACLU — a number of schools in Michigan, Kansas, and Missouri received similar notification in March. These actions are part of the ACLU’s “Don’t Filter Me” initiative, combating what the organization sees as the illegal censorship of LGBT educational information via schools’ computers.

“The school is perfectly fine letting kids see material… that is anti-gay, but they’re blocking students from seeing supportive websites.”

In its complaints against schools, ACLU challenges that districts’ Internet filters have been set up to block access to LGBT Web content. The ACLU was prompted to send the letter to the school district when Melina Zancanella, a junior at Oroville High School and president of its gay-straight alliance club, was unable to access Web sites aimed at helping curb suicide among gay teens. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Culture, Teaching With Tech, aclu, Internet filtering, Internet safety, LGBT

How Well Are Schools Teaching Cyber Safety and Ethics?

May 19, 2011 | 3:09 PM | By

NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

Learning about cyber safety and ethics.

Earlier this week we looked at proposed legislation in California that would change how social networking websites handle privacy and security — not just for minors online but for all Internet users. Several commenters responded that, when it comes to children online, it should be up to parents, not legislators, to handle these sorts of matters.

But arguably, teachers can also help children learn responsible behavior online. A recent survey undertaken by the National Cyber Security Alliance, Microsoft, and Zogby/463, showed that 91% of teachers, 92% of tech coordinators, and 99% of administrators believed this should be taught. The survey examined administrators, teachers, and technology coordinators at the K-12 level about their thoughts on the cybersafety practices and curriculum in schools. (Full survey results here).

Only half of teachers surveyed believe their school does an adequate job of preparing students regarding online safety.

This is the third year that the National Cyber Security Alliance has tested these attitudes, this year asking over 1000 teachers, 200 tech coordinators and 400 administrators a set of questions about online safety. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Culture, cyberbullying, Internet safety

Parents, Kids, and the Internet: the Problem of “Juvenoia”

May 16, 2011 | 4:22 PM | By

Flickr:UTCLibrary

It’s hard to find stories in the media about kids and the Internet that don’t propagate fearful messages. Parents are bombarded with stories about depression and isolation, and the imminent dangers lurking behind the screen.

Ann Collier’s NetFamilyNews blog provides a refreshing antidote. Collier writes with insight and depth about parents’ negotiating the tricky territory between allowing kids freedom enough to learn on their own and their instinct to protect kids from harm.

Recently, Collier raised some intriguing questions about Dr. David Finkelhor’s presentation called “The Internet, Youth Deviance and the Problem of Juvenoia.” Finkelhor is the director of the Crimes Against Childrens Research Center.

Collier summarized a few of Finkehor’s points — which we rarely hear hear or read — about the benefits of kids using the Internet:

  • Reduction of boredom and alienation – the Internet is engaging to kids; it may help distract them from negative emotional states; those who don’t feel a sense of mastery in other environments may feel mastery online….
  • Changing patterns of independence exploration – armchair adventuring; the actual risks/dangers may be less immediate online; on the Internet, a few more steps need to occur before things happen, “interactions are more drawn out, given to less impulsiveness” Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Culture, Facebook, Internet safety