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Want that Myspace account? Let me see some ID!
Artoria
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Not sure if this is a D&D topic or a G&T topic but since it's technology related (sort of) I thought I would put it here. If it's more D&Dish feel free to move it.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/03/07/D8NNG7680.html
Now I am all for protecting kids against on-line predators. But is this even feasible to do? How would you set up an age checking system that large? how would you stop kids from cheating on it and getting an older Friend to give permission? Not to mention the part where they say "Parents would be contacted directly when necessary" how many people will you need working a call center to do that? and don't the kids just lie about their ages now anyways to get on myspace? I'm pretty sure there are some 12 year olds on there right now.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/03/07/D8NNG7680.html
Conn. Bill Would Force MySpace Age Check
By SUSAN HAIGH
Associated Press Writer
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut lawmakers unveiled legislation Wednesday that would require MySpace.com and other social-networking sites to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors can post profiles.
The bill comes a day after a man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for using MySpace.com to set up a sexual encounter with an 11-year-old Connecticut girl. It was one of the first federal sex cases involving the popular site.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who met with other attorneys general on Tuesday, said 10 to 20 other states are considering similar legislation.
"The technology is available. The solution is financially feasible, practically doable," he said. "If we can put a man on the moon, we can check ages of people on these Web sites."
Under the proposal, any networking site that fails to verify ages and obtain parental permission of users under 18 would face civil fines up to $5,000 per violation. Sites would have to check information about parents to make sure it is legitimate. Parents would be contacted directly when necessary.
MySpace did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The bill, which is scheduled for a public hearing on Thursday, would apply to any organized online networking organization, including chat rooms.
Parents, school administrators and law-enforcement authorities have been increasingly warning of online predators at sites like MySpace, whose youth-oriented visitors are encouraged to expand their circles of friends through messaging tools and personal profile pages. It has more than 100 million registered users.
The site has responded by expanding educational efforts and partnerships with law enforcement. It also adopted new restrictions on how adults may contact the site's younger users and has helped design tools for identifying profiles created by convicted sex offenders.
The site's current policy bars children under 14 from setting up profiles. Users who 14 or 15 can display their full profiles _ containing hobbies, schools and any other personal details _ only to people already on the teen's list of friends. Others see only the bare-bones profile, listing username, gender, age and location.
But MySpace relies on users to specify their age.
News Corp.'s MySpace is the largest social-networking site, with more than 100 million registered users.
Now I am all for protecting kids against on-line predators. But is this even feasible to do? How would you set up an age checking system that large? how would you stop kids from cheating on it and getting an older Friend to give permission? Not to mention the part where they say "Parents would be contacted directly when necessary" how many people will you need working a call center to do that? and don't the kids just lie about their ages now anyways to get on myspace? I'm pretty sure there are some 12 year olds on there right now.
Artoria on
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Hell, the article mentions an eleven-year-old.
Schools should already have stuff like MySpace and YouTube blocked from general Internet use anyway. While I don't always agree with filtering information, most of the stuff that goes on those websites aren't school-related anyway and can be found in more... legitimate... avenues.
Seriously though. Politicians need to get the fuck out of our free market economy. If they want to block anybody from the sites, let them block their own kids.
EDIT: Also, does Connecticut even have jurisdiction to dictate how a website not physically based in their state operates? I would think MySpace could just throw them the finger and do whatever they want.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
Good question. Any takers?
I mean I guess they could make it unlawful and then prosecute anyone employed by MySpace who comes into their state borders, but who wants to go to Connecticut anyway? It's not like kids are driving over to MySpace town in the west corner of their state, where drinking age is lower and you can have sex with monkeys if the monkey happens to be provided. Monkey sex. Good times.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
猿も木から落ちる
If only. I DO have one of those "Duck" tours where you float around in those bus/boat contraptions where only underage easily manipulated girls are allowed to attend, but I doubt you live in the DC metropolitan area. Oh man, is the mid-tour swimming hole fun!
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
Of course, their new memberships plummet, but it's the easiest way to get the kids off of there.
Wow do I not know what you are talking about and am terrified to google it.
猿も木から落ちる
OH YES!!!
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
I have no idea what I just said.
We got those here, we call them the Wisconsin Ducks, as they were produced in the condemned army factory a little bit north of me.
This thread is awesome!
Maybe we should have a PA gather at Noahs Ark sometime in the near future. That or maybe Mt. Olympus. Or both.
Sporky, YOU are awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I will be putting up an under 18 MySpace page JUST FOR YOU. It will be the hawtness. I hope you have a credit card handy.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
debit :?
See and there in lays the problem. a kid could just give the phone number/address of a friend and the friend could say "ya that's my kid and I'm cool with him having a myspace account" you got to remember there are kids now who sound like adults on the phone.
That should work, does it have Visa or Mastercard on the front??
Okay on a serious note I see three things wrong with this:
1) The flaws previously mentioned with kids just getting the information any way they can, since there's no charge there's no paper trail.
2) Connecticut shouldn't even be able to have a say in this matter anyway.
3) IF this goes through, the requirements would actually inhibit new membership by the people that should legitimately be on MySpace. I know I think twice before putting my card info online, EVEN if it's for free identity checking services.
EDIT:
Now THIS I can get behind. They definitely need some sort of mechanism to cut down on the bots that are on the system now. I'm getting two invites a day from pornbots and it's kinda annoying.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
as a la crosse native, i agree.
also, could the ramifications of this do anything to cut back on all the porn bots an shit on myspace? or would they just skirt around it with fake identification?
360 Gamertag: Baronskatenbass Steam: BaronVonSnakPak HgL: AnsonLuap
Then the law would be seen as too broad and knocked down. I can only imagine the criteria they would use to describe an "online networking organization" on an ONLINE FUCKING NETWORK.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!:
You must be 18 years or older to ride the internet
Is putting a man on the moon really that hard? Other than the expense, it isn't like it would take technology that advanced by today's standards.
It wouldn't be hard at all if it didn't matter if he was alive or not.
That is pretty much the problem here. It is possible to check someone's ID online. However, being able to get someone's ID without crippling millions of websites on the internet.