Comments on: Child abuse risks for $100 laptops?

Today's BBC news reporting the breakup of a global online pedophile ring reminds us that low-cost laptop computer providers face many thorny social responsibilities.

[Anonymous44]

Nature of vulnerability?

Did I miss somewhere in the article a concise statement
of the nature of abuse *enabled* by such laptops?

[Anonymous44]

Nature of vulnerability?

Did I miss somewhere in the article a concise statement
of the nature of abuse *enabled* by such laptops?

[Linda Criddle]

Reply to unfounded assertions

Before accusing me of technophobia or fear mongering, do some research. As a 14 year technology industry veteran I am a card carrying geek who has coauthored more than 30 patents in internet safety and emerging technologies. I not only believe in the power of the internet, I have spent many years helping to develop that power.

The internet is neither good nor bad; it is simply a tool. And just as a hammer can be used to build a home or bash in a head, the internet in the hands of humans can be used for many purposes.

My particular area of focus is in how humans prey on other humans using the Internet and how to prevent, detect and report predation. Because of my expertise, I have trained and assisted law enforcement agencies across this country and internationally for many years.

My line of work has required that I research internet abuse patterns and attempt to prevent the basest of human behavior online - Murder, extortion, prostitution, human slavery, stalking, child pornography, snuffing, all varieties of scams, etc.

These are serious Internet issues that aren't spoken of in meaningful ways in the public debate; rather they appear occasionally as shock headlines or to make weekly entertainment ala 'to catch a predator'. I do not appreciate the sensationalism, bald inaccuracies, or 'quick fixes' that often drown the issues surrounding Internet safety.

I do not believe in fear mongering ? in fact you can read my blog on the subject Internet Scare-mongering ? who benefits? on http://look-both-ways.com/blogs

My job has been, and continues to be, to provide Internet safety solutions ?through educational means, technical advancements, better law enforcement, and sound policy and regulations.

Many of those commenting on this blog article are ill informed about the very real safety issues, the drivers behind online crime, and magnitude of the exploitation facilitated by the Internet. My recommendation to them is that they do some research rather than display their lack of it.

The low cost PC initiatives have many very positive aspects and I support these. But bringing devices to minors without having ensured a framework for successful and safe use is more than simply premature, it?s unsafe. The framework needs to ensure that protective laws are in place; governments understand the tradeoffs they are making and can coordinate the dissemination of quality safety information; law enforcement is both trained and equipped to deal with internet crime; international cooperation agreements for help on crimes that pass through many borders is in place; and teachers, parents and youth have been given a solid grasp of safety principles ? not just handed some rote and nearly useless list of the ?10 things to be safe online?. Lastly, the computers being distributed and the services the youth will use, must be optimized for safety.

Linda

[Linda Criddle]

Reply to unfounded assertions

Before accusing me of technophobia or fear mongering, do some research. As a 14 year technology industry veteran I am a card carrying geek who has coauthored more than 30 patents in internet safety and emerging technologies. I not only believe in the power of the internet, I have spent many years helping to develop that power.

The internet is neither good nor bad; it is simply a tool. And just as a hammer can be used to build a home or bash in a head, the internet in the hands of humans can be used for many purposes.

My particular area of focus is in how humans prey on other humans using the Internet and how to prevent, detect and report predation. Because of my expertise, I have trained and assisted law enforcement agencies across this country and internationally for many years.

My line of work has required that I research internet abuse patterns and attempt to prevent the basest of human behavior online - Murder, extortion, prostitution, human slavery, stalking, child pornography, snuffing, all varieties of scams, etc.

These are serious Internet issues that aren't spoken of in meaningful ways in the public debate; rather they appear occasionally as shock headlines or to make weekly entertainment ala 'to catch a predator'. I do not appreciate the sensationalism, bald inaccuracies, or 'quick fixes' that often drown the issues surrounding Internet safety.

I do not believe in fear mongering ? in fact you can read my blog on the subject Internet Scare-mongering ? who benefits? on http://look-both-ways.com/blogs

My job has been, and continues to be, to provide Internet safety solutions ?through educational means, technical advancements, better law enforcement, and sound policy and regulations.

Many of those commenting on this blog article are ill informed about the very real safety issues, the drivers behind online crime, and magnitude of the exploitation facilitated by the Internet. My recommendation to them is that they do some research rather than display their lack of it.

The low cost PC initiatives have many very positive aspects and I support these. But bringing devices to minors without having ensured a framework for successful and safe use is more than simply premature, it?s unsafe. The framework needs to ensure that protective laws are in place; governments understand the tradeoffs they are making and can coordinate the dissemination of quality safety information; law enforcement is both trained and equipped to deal with internet crime; international cooperation agreements for help on crimes that pass through many borders is in place; and teachers, parents and youth have been given a solid grasp of safety principles ? not just handed some rote and nearly useless list of the ?10 things to be safe online?. Lastly, the computers being distributed and the services the youth will use, must be optimized for safety.

Linda

[JJSans]

Are you talking about the same issue?

The negative responses to this article may be due to the history of the OLPC project. If you are just hearing about it, Amy, it has received a lot of negative publicity that can be attributed to technical bickering on the software choices and/or 1st world patronizing attitudes. Also, the countries where the laptops will be distributed do not have widespread internet access, so the expectation is that the networks will be local to the communities.

This does not mean that the children will never be exposed to internet dangers, and so your concern is legitimate. I expect that the designers would be happy to include a tutorial on being safe if you were inclined to contribute it under a Creative Commons license. Of course, there is the issue of language, which is one reason that the developers are not keen to add to the existing scope. As far as I have heard, it is being distributed in at least 5 countries with different languages, not to mention cultural nuances.

[JJSans]

Are you talking about the same issue?

The negative responses to this article may be due to the history of the OLPC project. If you are just hearing about it, Amy, it has received a lot of negative publicity that can be attributed to technical bickering on the software choices and/or 1st world patronizing attitudes. Also, the countries where the laptops will be distributed do not have widespread internet access, so the expectation is that the networks will be local to the communities.

This does not mean that the children will never be exposed to internet dangers, and so your concern is legitimate. I expect that the designers would be happy to include a tutorial on being safe if you were inclined to contribute it under a Creative Commons license. Of course, there is the issue of language, which is one reason that the developers are not keen to add to the existing scope. As far as I have heard, it is being distributed in at least 5 countries with different languages, not to mention cultural nuances.

[robanga]

Wow not to jump on the bandwagon here....

...But wow! How out of touch does a person need to be to write something like this. Most of the world out there is not thinking about any of this in this context. The concerns of a blogger awash in wealth and self-realization, is not relevant to the simple needs of the third world. Safety from violence, poverty, starvation, abusive political and theocratic systems, pollution, unsafe water, unsafe food, crime of all sorts. Keeping junior safe from some middle aged pot bellied pervert sitting in front of his computer in the first world should be very very low on the list of issues. Said pervert's chance of getting to see someone in their underthings may improve or not improve as technology proliferates, but there are a lot bigger fish to fry. Get the computers in their hands so they stand some chance of improving their economic and political lives for heaven's sake and forget about the small stuff.

I'll read the rest of your blog now, but you really struck out on this one.

[robanga]

Wow not to jump on the bandwagon here....

...But wow! How out of touch does a person need to be to write something like this. Most of the world out there is not thinking about any of this in this context. The concerns of a blogger awash in wealth and self-realization, is not relevant to the simple needs of the third world. Safety from violence, poverty, starvation, abusive political and theocratic systems, pollution, unsafe water, unsafe food, crime of all sorts. Keeping junior safe from some middle aged pot bellied pervert sitting in front of his computer in the first world should be very very low on the list of issues. Said pervert's chance of getting to see someone in their underthings may improve or not improve as technology proliferates, but there are a lot bigger fish to fry. Get the computers in their hands so they stand some chance of improving their economic and political lives for heaven's sake and forget about the small stuff.

I'll read the rest of your blog now, but you really struck out on this one.

[sayitdoc]

Get the computers AND help them stay safe

I appreciate the concerns you raise about these children, Amy! I am a
counseling psychologist and educator working with Qwest Communications
to help parents and children communicate and get up to speed around online
safety issues. See http://www.IncredibleInternet.com for our online safety
resources.

There will, of course, always be risks associated with the rewards of getting
computers to any children. Even in the U.S. where we have the ways and
means to inform children and parents, the latest Pew Internet & American Life
Project research, which can be found at http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/
211/report_display.asp shows that 47% of parents don?t have filtering
software on the computer their children use and 55% don?t use monitoring
software on their children?s computers. I agree that it?s of key importance to
educate and inform parents, children and teachers about safety and privacy,
and we must communicate in ways that respect and appreciate the cultural
and language differences that will be encountered. The more public and
private partnerships that we can involve in this endeavor, the better!
Linda Young

[sayitdoc]

Get the computers AND help them stay safe

I appreciate the concerns you raise about these children, Amy! I am a
counseling psychologist and educator working with Qwest Communications
to help parents and children communicate and get up to speed around online
safety issues. See http://www.IncredibleInternet.com for our online safety
resources.

There will, of course, always be risks associated with the rewards of getting
computers to any children. Even in the U.S. where we have the ways and
means to inform children and parents, the latest Pew Internet & American Life
Project research, which can be found at http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/
211/report_display.asp shows that 47% of parents don?t have filtering
software on the computer their children use and 55% don?t use monitoring
software on their children?s computers. I agree that it?s of key importance to
educate and inform parents, children and teachers about safety and privacy,
and we must communicate in ways that respect and appreciate the cultural
and language differences that will be encountered. The more public and
private partnerships that we can involve in this endeavor, the better!
Linda Young

[mojomom]

Including more voices in the tech discussion

The reactions to my blog post have been interesting, to say the least. I believe a parent's perspective is a valuable viewpoint to bring to issues of society and technology, and I would like to think that CNET readers are open to listening to new voices. I have seen the OLPC XO laptop prototype in person. My first reaction was the whizbang "that is so cool!" But it only took a few minutes for my Mom instinct to kick in and ask the question, "What about internet safety?" To me it was an obvious concern, not born of imperialism or technophobia, but common sense. I wouldn't want my child to have unfettered access to a webcam. Why should we think it's just fine to give them out to kids in the developing world? Once I looked into it, I was dismayed to see so little attention paid to the issues of internet safety by the laptop project developers. As a journalist, parent and blogger, it is my job to ask the question. I can only hope that the tech community will seriously consider these issues, really think through the concerns brought up experts such as Linda Criddle, and come up with timely, thoughtful answers.

[mojomom]

Including more voices in the tech discussion

The reactions to my blog post have been interesting, to say the least. I believe a parent's perspective is a valuable viewpoint to bring to issues of society and technology, and I would like to think that CNET readers are open to listening to new voices. I have seen the OLPC XO laptop prototype in person. My first reaction was the whizbang "that is so cool!" But it only took a few minutes for my Mom instinct to kick in and ask the question, "What about internet safety?" To me it was an obvious concern, not born of imperialism or technophobia, but common sense. I wouldn't want my child to have unfettered access to a webcam. Why should we think it's just fine to give them out to kids in the developing world? Once I looked into it, I was dismayed to see so little attention paid to the issues of internet safety by the laptop project developers. As a journalist, parent and blogger, it is my job to ask the question. I can only hope that the tech community will seriously consider these issues, really think through the concerns brought up experts such as Linda Criddle, and come up with timely, thoughtful answers.