Zephyr met with skepticism
Plan to let parents track MySpace profiles met with skepticism:
It seems I’m not the only one who is skeptical about MySpace’s planned parental software called Zephyr. So is Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal but for different reasons…
In a statement, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called the plan “a shortsighted and ineffective response to a towering danger to kids.” He said users “can easily evade” the software.
Blumenthal and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper co-chair a task force of 34 state attorneys general that is considering a lawsuit against MySpace over safety. The group has asked the site to raise its minimum age from 14 to 16 and make users verify their age.
Cooper says the notification software “really doesn’t do enough” to protect children. “You’ve got 10-, 11- and 12-year-old kids who are on the site — that’s a problem. Parents are lulled into thinking that this is a safe site for children … but they are a mouse click away from predators and porn.”
Politicians really are clueless when it comes to the internet. Except for Al Gore of course.
Why is all the blame being laid at the feet of MySpace? Why isn’t the blame being directed where it should be directed, at the parents? If 10-12 year olds are going on MySpace it’s because the parents either allow it or they’re letting the kids use the internet unsupervised. Why aren’t these esteemed Attorney Generals doing anything about that? I’ll tell you why. Because MySpace isn’t a voter but lax parents are. God forbid that these politicians should actually hold the parents responsible.
Tags: MySpace, Richard-Blumenthal, zephyrRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Safety
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