Comments on: How to hinder, not help, social networks

iMega chairman Joe Brennan says digital innovators face increased risks because of politically motivated short-term fixes by state governments.

[Len Bullard]

So No Danger Should Obstruct Your Profits?

The typical lobbyist response: we are making money here and the government is messing up our game asking us to help supervise your children.

1. Dual verification is not a technical problem or a burden. As with other forms of verification, it can be bypassed but it will put the burden of verification on the parents where the parents are paying attention.

2. Some form of online identity verification is needed for many other online businesses. Open ID comes to mind. I recommend the blogs of Eve Maler and Yvonne Wilson (Sun) for anyone interested in learning more.

3. If the cost of making the environment safer is fewer kids can register, that is not a very high price. There is no inherent right to access and clearly no public interest in promoting such an idea. That is clearly the gaming industry crying that it can't make enough money if it polices the registration.

Actually, it needs to go further by implementing common business systems:

a) Reporting services. Parents can register for reports on activities, chats, and other transactions by children online.

b) Rating services. An NPO rates online systems in the same way that games are rated now.

It isn't a matter of whether or not the industry will do this. If they won't, the government will. If they don't, then it is time to start shutting these services down as fast as we can primarily by removing our children's accounts.

Early virtual worlds systems such as Cybertown began to police the conduct of the adults AND the minors (yes, kids seek danger; vendors have to deal with that) a decade ago. If the game owners can't get on board, it is unwillingness not inability.

Get a clue and get started. My Kids. My Rules.

[gunplay]

Are you teaching your kids to hate money (profits) as much as you do?

Get real, you actually think that MySpace gets profits from having child predators on it's website. I can just see the MySpace executives in their boardroom right now: "Those child predators sure are pure profit muhahhaha!". You sir are a complete idiot to the point I think it is you who must have a vested interest in some ulterior motive. The more MySpace eliminates child predators from their websites, the more it is generally deemed safe, the more users (and their parents) feel better about signing up and using the service.

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force." - George Washington

1. FORCED dual verification is a problem, because it is forced.
2. Open ID is great and will inevitably come down the pipe for social networking, just look at at where it came from: LiveJournal. Government regulation would all but ensure lack of innovation such as this.
3. Doesn't matter if fewer kids can register eh? I'm glad your eminent wisdom made that choice for them and their parents. So along that line I think that we should get rid of chain letter e-mail. I have determined that idiots are the ones that forward chain letter e-mail, but it is regular people who are the ones that receive the mail. So ergo in Bizarro-world obviously all regular people should be banned from using e-mail. So don't worry Len, my friend, you won't be one of the ones banned from e-mail, but for those regular users it is but a small price to pay don't you agree? How do you think it feels, when you are classified you into a group in order to take away your rights? Like you even care...

Your A and B are valid, but only if it works, and it is private industry that determines if things work. In fact as I have just outlined above it is in private industry's best interests (that oh so evil profit) to get rid of predators online. Arbitrary government regulation just makes it harder for things to work, no matter what it is. But for some odd reason it gives people the warm fuzzies inside to think that they've stopped (insert bad thing) forever! Stopped forever I tell you! Just like the War on Drugs... what bunch of idiots.

Oh yes, shutting down all the social networking services! Why don't we just turn off the internet while we're at it, idiot! Hey here's an idea, if you don't want your child using the service then tell them not to and punish them when they do, like every other good parent would do in such a situation, idiot. Move the computer to the Kitchen if you're so worried, and there are tons of other solutions. Simply put, it's your kid so take responsibility because it is NO ONE ELSES!

My Kids, will thankfully never live under your rules! That includes your forced idiot laws!

[basraw]

security and protection are afterthoughts..

if myspace would not have been badgered into any type of security/protection, they wouldn't be bothering...thats why laws pop up..