Facebook: No single solution for implementing age restrictions
September 7, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
A father is suing Facebook after his 12-year-old daughter posted “sexually explicit” photos on the social network. His main argument is that Facebook does not properly enforce its own policy for requiring users of the social network to be at least 13 years old. The writ alleges that Facebook is “guilty of negligence” and creates “a risk of sexual and physical harm” to the child.
I contacted Facebook for a statement, and the answer I received back was much more detailed than usual (read it in full below). Facebook obviously does not agree that it should be held accountable. The company insists that anyone who is concerned about an underage person on Facebook should report them by using the form provided, and it will remove them.
Of course, the father in question did that, but his daughter, who reportedly has behavioral problems, simply created another account and continued uploading photos. The father is seeking an injunction not only ordering Facebook to close down his daughter’s account but to stop her from opening another one. If that doesn’t happen, he wants to see Facebook stop operations in Northern Ireland.
Facebook, for its part, says it uses back-end end technology to try and prevent underage users from signing up again. Palo Alto would not elaborate how this system worked. It did note, however, that recent reports show it is difficult is to implement age restrictions on the Internet and that there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age.
Instead of implementing a strict system for age verification (the father’s lawyer suggested using a passport number), Facebook says it prefers to educate its users about safety instead. Facebook would have arguably not grown very quickly if signing up for the social network was a long process.
Palo Alto cites safety experts who say communication between parents and their kids about their use of the Internet is vital. The company points to recent updates to its safety and security offerings, including the Family Safety Center and social reporting tool (Photo Gallery). The social networking giant also notes it works with charity partners such as Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) and law enforcement agencies across the world.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) mandates that websites that collect information about users aren’t allowed to sign on anyone under the age of 13. As a result, Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities require users of the social network to be at least 13 years old (and even older, in some jurisdictions).
Millions of preteens use the service anyway: some get permission from their parents to create an account while others lie about their age to get past sign-up restrictions. Four months ago, it was estimated that 7.5 million Facebook users are below the minimum age. To make matters even more worrying, more than 5 million were 10-years-old or younger.
The full statement Facebook sent me is below:
Anyone who is concerned about an underage person on Facebook should report them to us using the form provided and we will remove them.
Facebook is currently designed for two age groups (13-17 year olds and 18 and up), and we provide extensive safety and privacy controls based on the age provided. If someone reports an underage account to use then we will remove it, and use back-end end technology to try and prevent them signing up again. However, recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to implement age restrictions on the Internet and that there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age.
We invest heavily in educating people how to stay safe on Facebook both via our Family Safety Center and by working with charity partners such as FOSI (Family Online Safety Institute). We have good working relationships with law enforcement agencies across the world, including CEOP in the UK, and employ world class technology to help keep bad people and content off the site.
However, we agree with safety experts that communication between parents/guardians and kids about their use of the Internet is vital. We believe that services such as Facebook have a role to play in encouraging this: the recent announcements around social reporting and our safety center are testimonies to our ongoing efforts in ensuring we are giving detailed and helpful advice to help support these conversations. Just as parents are always teaching and reminding kids how to cross the road safely, talking about internet safety should be just as important a lesson to learn.
See also:
- Daughter posts sexually explicit photos, dad sues Facebook
- 7.5 million Facebook users are below the minimum age
- Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook minimum age limit should be removed
- Arrested: man planned sex with 12-year-old girl he met on Facebook
- Facebook bans 20,000 accounts daily
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Amazon steps up social media efforts
September 7, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
SAN FRANCISCO |
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) is stepping up social media efforts after the largest Internet retailer partially missed one of the hottest technology trends of recent years.
Amazon hired a director of social media, John Yurcisin, from WPP’s (WPP.L) Ogilvy Mather earlier this year to help the company come up with social strategies. He is the brother of Jeff Yurcisin, the general manager of Shopbop.com, an apparel retail website owned by Amazon.
The company is also building a Social Games Group to take on Zynga, the leader in the space which is preparing for an initial public offering.
Amazon is hiring developers and engineers for the effort. A poster in a kitchen area on Amazon’s new Seattle campus unveiled the Social Games Group as “Worldwide Breaking News.”
“The Group is growing fast!” Amazon said on the poster. “We’re actively looking.”
The company poster expresses most interest in software development engineers and Flash developers, the latter likely referring to Adobe System’s (ADBE.O) Flash, which is used to add video, animation and other interactive content to websites.
Amazon has also posted social games jobs on LinkedIn (LNKD.N) and tech jobs website Dice.com. One August 15 LinkedIn posting for a Senior Social Games engineer said the group is “working on a cutting edge initiative within Amazon.”
Amazon was a pioneer in e-commerce, electronic books and reading devices and cloud computing. But it has lagged in social networking and social media, leaving Facebook and Zynga as leaders in the area.
This occurred even as Amazon’s main shopping website sported several social aspects that could have been exploited.
One long-time feature that has helped Amazon become the largest Internet retailer is the customer review section that occupies the bottom of most product pages. This was an early way to harness personal opinions on products, preceding such innovations as Facebook’s popular “like” button.
When a purchase is made on Amazon’s website, the company shows what other products were bought by people who made the same purchase.
Still, such information is sent to shoppers by Amazon. There is currently little ability for customers who have purchased similar items in the past to connect directly with each other. It is also difficult to find out automatically what friends have recently bought on Amazon.
It is not clear what John Yurcisin is working on at Amazon and a company spokesman declined to comment on Amazon’s social plans.
Yurcisin’s LinkedIn page lists him as “Director, Social” at Amazon and says he has been in the position since May.
Before that, he was Vice President, Marketing Analytics at OgilvyOne, a big direct and interactive marketing business owned by Ogilvy Mather.
Yurcisin’s Twitter page lists him as “Director, Social Media” for Amazon with a focus on strategy, customer relationship management, digital and mobile.
Amazon is dipping its toes in social waters. The company added Twitter and Facebook social networking features to its popular Kindle electronic book offering.
Kindle e-book readers can send public notes about sections of the book they are reading. This is now integrated with people’s Twitter and Facebook contacts. (Reporting by Alistair Barr, editing by Matthew Lewis)